Dethroned! (Postgame notes 09 September 07)

Well, that went well! Ooh, just for the heck of it: so far I am 6-4 on my football picks, afternoon games still being played and night and Monday games to-be played.

Anyway, the stuff you actually care about:

Yankees sweep Kansas City, Wang gets his ML-leading 18th win, and A-Rod gets #52, the most home runs in a season for the Yankees for a right-handed batter.

Anyway, got to start with the pitching:

Wang wasn't dominating, like he was against Seattle, but KC only did score in one inning and he recovered nicely from that inning. Didn't seem like he could, but he went seven innings, and gritted through it. He got a nice prize for it: his eighteenth win of the season!

Farnsworth had a 1-2-3 eighth inning, and those two strikeouts were glorious! If he continues to pitch like this, the the Yankees are just that much more of a threat in October. I'm still a bit nervous about bringing him in a close game, but he got the job done today.

Rivera was Rivera. 'Nuff said.


A-Rod had his Home Run, and made a great defensive play in the eighth. I guess it says something that I'm disappointed he hit only one home run. He's got 53 on the year, and he hit five in May.

That is, as my brother says, not human.

Betemit and Posada both had huge clutch hits. Betemit has something like 48 hits and 46 RBIs. He, apparently, likes to hit with men on base. Fine by me! Posada won't get the MVP over A-Rod, but, really, any other year he'd be a shoe-in.

If the Yankees were going to pick a series to sweep, they picked a good one--sweeps of Boston not withstanding, sweeping the series while Seattle and Detroit were playing each other, and neither one of them swept, means the Yanks now have four games on Detroit and five on Seattle. It's not an insurmountable lead, but it feels pretty good...

Which brings me to...

Scores and Stuffs

Seattle took advantage of Detroit's decision not to pitch today, and won big, 14-7, despite an extremely shaky start from Felix Hernandez.

Boston eked out a win in Baltimore, 3-2, so Beckett got his 18th win as well. No change atop the AL East tonight.

Tampa beat Toronto, also 3-2. Carlos Pena has 38 home runs on the year. Pity he's playing for a team that's fighting for last-place rights. Actually, Tampa's only two back in the loss and one back in the win columns of Baltimore. If current trends continue, Tampa might actually finish fourth...(that just sounds odd!)

Minnesota beat the Chi Sox, 5-2. The White Sox are putting up quite a fight for worst-team-in-the-league honors. They've joined Tampa as the only teams to be completely eliminated from Postseason contention all together.

Texas is up on Oakland 2-1 in the second, and the Angels and Indians play in tonight's Sunday Night game.

In the National League,

Pittsburgh beat the Cubs 10-5, which, coupled with Milwaukee's win over Cincinnati by the same score, now means the Brewers have possession of the NL Central first place honors. In the Milwaukee game, the Brewers hit six home runs. Ryan Braun had two of him, giving him 30 on the year. Think A-Rod's having a good season? This Braun kid ain't half-bad, either...

Philadelphia beat Florida 8-5. Florida out-homered the Phillies, but the win's what matters...

Mets beat Houston, 4-1, furthering their stronghold on the NL East.

Atlanta lost to Washington, 7-4, their playoff hopes considerably dimmer than this time two weeks ago.

San Francisco and LA are tied at one in the sixth. Bonds is in the game but as of yet doesn't not have a home run.

Colorado is up on San Diego 3-1 in the eighth. The Rockies are fighting to the bitter end...(still, though, how did they sweep us?!)

Lastly, St. Louis and Arizona are tied 2-2 in the third. Rick Ankiel does not have a home run. Yet.