The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the New York Yankees tonight by a score of 5-1. In what could have been an epic pitching duel between David Price and CC Sabathia, it was only Price that showed up ready to go. With the loss, the Yankees fall to 71-46 on the season.
A-Rod Went 2-3 with a HR in a Class-A Rehab Assignment - AP
The Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees this afternoon by a final score of 10-4. With the loss, the Yankees lose sole-possession of first place in the American League East. The Yankees and Red Sox now have identical 69-43 records.
Aiming at Pesky Pole - Elsa, Getty Images
The New York Yankees posted a victory in the first game of their series with the Chicago White Sox by the score of 3-2. CC Sabathia posted his Major League leading 16th victory en route to leading the Yankees to their fourth straight win, and 65th victory of the season.
AP
The New York Yankees posted a victory over the Seattle Mariners tonight by a score of 4-1. CC Sabathia took a perfect game into the seventh inning, through two rain delays, in route to his Major League leading fifteenth victory of the season. With the win, the Yankees move to 61-40 on the season.
It's okay, CC. You did win your 15th game. - Jim McIsaac, Getty Images
Tonight’s pitching match-up lived up to expectations as James Shields and CC Sabathia once again squared off. Both pitchers gave their teams 7+ innings of strong starting pitching. However, Shields was a little bit better tonight as his Rays topped the Yanks, 2-1. With tonight’s defeat, Sabathia lost his first game in eight starts. With the loss, the Yanks fall to 57-39 and finish their eight game roadie at 4-4. The Rays proved tonight that they’ll be sticking around, as they trail the Yanks by only 5.5 games in the AL Wildcard race.
AP
Every summer, the Yankees are tied to trade rumors for at least one stud starting pitcher. Last year, it was Cliff Lee and Dan Haren. This year, it’s Ubaldo Jimenez. The 27-year-old righty had a spectacular season last year, posting a 19-8 record with a 2.88 ERA. Jimenez has hit a few speed bumps thus far this season (5-8, 4.08 ERA), but has gone 5-3 with a 2.55 ERA over the last two months. The Rockies are 9.5 games out and are considering trading their ace for the right package. Young, stud pitcher rarely hit the open trade market, so the Yankees are rightfully doing their due diligence. Here are three postives and three negatives to trading for Ubaldo.
Bronx Bound?
The New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays this sunny afternoon by a score of 4-1. CC Sabathia went eight strong innings and only allowed one run. With the loss, the Yanks are now 54-37 on the season and inch closer to the Red Sox.
"Look Out!" - Ken Singleton (Abelimages/Getty Images)
The first half is in the books and its time to take a look back. The Yanks finished the first half with a 53-35 record, a game behind the Red Sox in the division. Considering the plethora of injuries the Yankees have endured (Soriano, Joba, Hughes, Jeter, A-Rod, Chavez, Feliciano, etc.), the team has exceeded expectations in my mind. The bullpen has been successfully rebuilt, the rotation has been great, the offense is third in total runs, and the team boasts two of the three top power hitters in the AL. Time to hand out first half report cards.
Christian Lopez, who caught Jeter's 3000th hit, gets an A
CC Sabathia is an absolute beast. The big man tossed a complete game, four-hit shutout as the Yankees beat the Rays 1-0. He capped off the win by throwing a 98 MPH fastball by Elliot Johnson. Sabathia struck out nine and walked only one in the win. Sabathia finishes the first half with a 13-4 record and a 2.72. Hell, CC even got pied by AJ Burnett after the game. With the win, the Yankees finish off the first half with a 53-35 record, a game behind the Boston Red Sox.
DEAL-ING
Quick. Name the Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star representative last season….Give up? If you guessed Chris Young, you’d be correct! How about the White Sox? Matt Thornton is your answer. Point being, fans don’t remember All-Star game selections year after year. Sure, the All-Star Game has the Jeters, Riveras, and Halladays that are yearly staples, but overall, All-Star selections are a mere afterthought for many players and fans. Here are two reasons why All-Star selections are trivial honors.
Jeter 2000 ASG MVP
