Posted on Sat, Jul. 5, 2008
You know it's bad when . . .
Yankees fans booed Derek Jeter after he struck out in the sixth inning of New York's 7-0 drubbing by Boston on Thursday night. Have things become so bad in the Bronx that even Captain America isn't safe? Jeter made a throwing error in the first inning on a double-play ball, which ultimately led to two Red Sox runs. After the loss, manager Joe Girardi held a 31-minute, closed-door meeting with the team. Jeter and Johnny Damon spoke during the session, according to the New York Times. No word on whether Alex Rodriguez sang "Rescue Me" at the conclusion to inspire the troops.
Clearly, the Yankees just need Hank Steinbrenner to open his loud mouth again. Hey, it led to 18 runs Wednesday night. In other news, the (Original) Boss, George Steinbrenner, confirmed that he would be at Yankee Stadium for the July 15 All-Star Game. Also, happy belated birthday to George, who turned 78 yesterday. His gift? Third place.
Pitching-starved teams, take notice
The Minnesota Twins apparently have too many starting pitchers. With Livan Hernandez, Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn (who?), Glen Perkins (ditto) and Kevin Slowey (this is a joke, right?), the Twins have one of the best rotations in the American League. Minnesota starters had walked 201 batters in 85 games entering last night's play, by far the fewest in the majors.
And even though former top prospect Francisco Liriano is progressing well in triple A, there's no room for him at the major-league level. The Twins organization consistently is one of the finest in the majors at assembling competitive teams, and certainly deserves more credit than it is receiving this year. Three of the team's starters from last year left in the off-season (Johan Santana, Carlos Silva, Matt Garza) and another, Boof Bonser, is in the bullpen. Yet the Twins haven't skipped a beat.
Still, Slowey is no name for a pitcher.
Fall from grace
Former Rutgers pitcher Joe Borowski was designated for assignment by the Indians. Borowski led the American League in saves in 2007, but he blew his fourth save in 10 chances Tuesday night and had a 7.56 ERA this year. That won't stop teams that need bullpen help from lining up with offers hoping they can fix Borowski, who hasn't found his old self since an arm injury in April.
Notable
Every major-league team yesterday wore a navy blue cap with stars and stripes inside the team's logo to show support for the Welcome Back Veterans Foundation. . . . Yankees leftfielder Johnny Damon was injured yesterday after crashing into the wall while trying to make a leaping catch on a Kevin Youkilis hit that bounced around before falling in for a triple. X-rays found no broken bones, and the diagnosis was a bruised left shoulder. The team said he would have an MRI today. . . . Jon Lester's five-hitter Thursday was the first shutout by a Boston lefthander at Yankee Stadium since Roger Moret's six-hitter on July 4, 1973.
Contact staff writer Matt Gelb at 215-854-4550 or mgelb@phillynews.com.
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