Jeter, A-Rod carrying Yanks' offense
PHILADELPHIA -- All postseason, the Yankees' left side has been their strong side.
No, it's not about southpaws CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte on the hill; rather, it's the potent left side of the infield, with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez carrying much of the offensive load in the 2009 playoffs.
While the other half of the infield has struggled mightily throughout the postseason -- Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano have combined to go 21-for-111 with 13 RBIs -- Jeter and Rodriguez have picked up the slack and been postseason constants for the Bronx Bombers.
With his first-inning double to score Johnny Damon, Rodriguez set a new franchise record for most RBIs in a single postseason with 16. He added two more on another double in the eighth that pulled the Yankees back within striking distance.
The third baseman has six playoff home runs and has driven in a run in all but three games this postseason -- all this after enduring four years of questions surrounding a recent playoff history that included a .159 average and just one RBI in his previous 13 postseason games.
This October -- and now, November -- Rodriguez has long since passed the point of compensating for past playoff shortcomings; now, he's writing himself not just into Yankees lore but playoff history. His 18 RBIs are one shy of a Major League record currently held by David Ortiz, Scott Spiezio and Sandy Alomar Jr.
Just as impressive as the quantity of Rodriguez's RBIs has been their quality. These aren't the stat-stuffing late-game home runs Rodriguez has been oft-criticized for -- however unjustly -- in the past. He has hit two game-tying home runs off opposing closers, and on Sunday, A-Rod drove in the eventual game-winning run with two outs in Game 4 off Philadelphia closer Brad Lidge.
Rodriguez himself hasn't shed too much light on what's facilitated the about-face in his playoff fortunes. He's stuck to saying that he's "locked in" and "feeling good" and "swinging at strikes."
Rodriguez's teammates haven't been much more successful in articulating how exactly he's doing what he is doing at the plate, settling for shrugs of the shoulders and simplicities such as what Damon said following A-Rod's game-winning double in Game 4: "We really enjoy the way he's playing."
At the same time, Rodriguez isn't just knocking in himself, and it's no coincidence that he keeps coming up in run-producing situations. A lot of the credit goes to the guy who plays next to him on the infield and sets the table for the Yankees' lineup.
The Yankees' captain is the only player on either team with a hit in all five World Series games. In fact, Jeter has a knock in 14 of his past 16 games in the Fall Classic, dating back to 2001.
Of course, Jeter's postseason reputation is, by now, seemingly beyond reproach. He has become such a consistent hitter in October that it's almost stunning when he doesn't come through, as was the case in Game 5's ninth inning. Jeter came up as the tying run with nobody out against Ryan Madson, only to ground into a 6-4-3 double play.
"He threw a good pitch," Jeter said afterward of the 2-1 two-seamer he saw from Madson. "You understand why he's so tough, especially on right-handers."
Jeter was quick to move on, anxious to head back to the Bronx with a chance to close out the Phillies in front of the home crowd.
"We have a good feeling," Jeter said. "We came here into a tough place to play and won a couple games."
And why shouldn't the Yankees have a good feeling? With a left side of the infield like theirs, everything should turn out all right.
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Cole cool with not getting Game 2 nod
PHILADELPHIA -- It's Pedro Martinez in Game 2 of the World Series, which means Cole Hamels will pitch Game 3 on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park.
Charlie Manuel said he wanted to split up his left-handed pitchers against the Yankees, which makes sense. But you've also got to think if Hamels were pitching better, that he would be pitching Game 2.
Hamels said he is OK with that.
"It's an honor to pitch. It's an honor to pitch at home," Hamels said. "Any time you get to pitch at home, I think it's great -- especially Game 3. Game 3 is very important. Jamie [Moyer] showed us how important it was last year. That could turn a series. You know what? I think it's going to be just as important as Game 1 or Game 2 or Game 4 or Game 5. I think this is going to be nice to have the home crowd and no DH. I couldn't ask for a better scenario."
Pitching coach Rich Dubee said last week that it seems most of Hamels' problems have been mental. Maybe he is putting too much pressure on himself. Maybe he has been too concerned with trying to match last season's postseason numbers.
Hamels went 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five postseason starts in 2008. He is 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA in three postseason starts this year.
"When you have success early, you want to continue it," Hamels said. "You put a little bit too much pressure on trying to be that guy all the time, instead of just letting it happen. ... I've never gone through the struggles that I have, but I haven't had a long career yet. I've been able to talk to Pedro and Jamie and Cliff [Lee]. They've had their ups and downs. It's how you learn to deal with it. I think they understand when you do great things, people expect it to happen.
"All of a sudden you do kind of get wrapped up in expecting it to happen, and it can really throw you off your game. I think it has to a point. I don't want to make excuses. I haven't been able to do my job as well as I would like, and it's something that I'm fighting to be that caliber player that everybody expects me to be. But at the same time, I'm not going to put too much stress on it anymore because I've gotten myself in trouble when I try to expect too much."
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Pedro in line to start possible Game 6
PHILADELPHIA -- Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels will pitch Game 5 of the National League Championship Series against the Dodgers on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park.
And who will pitch Game 6 on Friday in Los Angeles, if the Phillies need it?
Right-hander Pedro Martinez said he is ready. He threw a bullpen session Tuesday afternoon during a voluntary workout, which puts him on line to start Game 6. He threw seven scoreless innings in Game 2 at Dodger Stadium, but while he threw well he would not mind waiting a little longer to pitch.
Martinez would like to see the Phillies wrap up the series Wednesday (8:07 p.m. ET, TBS and Postseason.TV) to clinch their second consecutive berth in the World Series.
Asked if he thinks the Phillies need to be reminded not to take their foot off the gas, Martinez said, "This team doesn't need to be told. This team has proven over and over that this team is all about business. If we were a car, right now we probably would be in trouble with the law. This team really speeds up and never lets down. I think we're more of a NASCAR type of team.
"We feel like we are in the driver's seat ... in a NASCAR driver's seat. I think we have a very good chance to actually win it [Wednesday], and we're going to try. But that team is good. The other team is good. We have to pay attention to them and just stay focused."
The Phillies still could pitch left-hander Cliff Lee in Game 6, but could bring him back on extra rest in Game 7.
"We're all on the bubble," Martinez said of the pitching situation. "I'm ready right now. If you ask me if I could pitch today, yes, I could pitch."
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Reliever Eyre available for Game 4
DENVER -- Phillies left-hander Scott Eyre tumbled to the Coors Field turf Sunday night, and limped out of the visitors' clubhouse a couple hours later.
Eyre suffered a mildly sprained right ankle in Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Rockies, but Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said before Game 4 on Monday that Eyre is fine and could pitch.
"He's usable, from what I understand," Amaro said.
That is good news for the Phillies, who only have one other left-hander in the bullpen -- rookie Antonio Bastardo. Eyre went 2-1 with a 1.50 ERA in 42 appearances this season for the Phillies.
Had Eyre been unable to pitch and the Phils had to replace him on the roster before the end of the NLDS, Eyre would have been ineligible to play in the NL Championship Series.
Right-hander Chan Ho Park, who is trying to recover from a strained right hamstring, threw a bullpen session in Clearwater, Fla. Amaro said Park has been doing fine.
"I don't think he's quite 100 percent yet, but he's better," Amaro said.
Game 1 of the NLCS is Thursday in Los Angeles. If the Phillies advance to the NLCS, Amaro said he doesn't know if Park will be ready to pitch by then.
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Hamels out to resume playoff success
PHILADELPHIA -- After breezing through last year's postseason and gaining the glory that comes with being named the World Series MVP, Cole Hamels shared the expectations of Phillies fans, who were hoping to see him experience similar dominance throughout this year's regular season.
Burdened by a tender left elbow that interrupted his Spring Training preparations, Hamels spent the past six months realizing that one memorable October doesn't shield a pitcher from the forgettable inconsistencies that can blossom during the course of any season.
"You get into a season and sometimes you know you have a bad game after another, and there's no opportunity to even salvage or make it look somewhat of a decent year," Hamels said. "So that's kind of something you battle through. But you have to learn something about yourself and really try to learn about the importance of trying to make every day a new one and forgetting about what you did the last game."
When Hamels toes the rubber and faces the Rockies in Game 2 of the National League Division Series at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday at 2:37 p.m. ET on TBS and Postseason.TV, he'll officially close the book on the 10-11 record that he compiled during the regular season and attempt to once again feed off the energy of the hometown fans who shared a glorious October with him last year.
"I think the postseason actually does prove that things do start over," Hamels said. "You try to take all the momentum you've gained through the season and all the lessons you've gained and really try to apply it, because this is the time when you're needed most and you know what you're capable of doing."
Despite the fact that Hamels went 10-11 and posted a 4.32 ERA in 32 starts, many Phillies fans believed that he should have been given the opportunity to start Game 1 instead of reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee.
Lee's September struggles and lack of previous postseason experience fueled this mind-set. But these fans also have fresh memories of the fact that Hamels thrived through the pressure that was present while he went 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five postseason starts last year.
"I know my teammates know what I'm capable of doing and I know what I'm capable of," Hamels said. "It's just a matter of being able to repeat what I can do best, and that's going out there and trying to set the tone early. I'm the first one out in the first inning, so it's kind of what you have to do You have to set the tone."
Hamels set the tone while earning the win during Game 1 of each of the three postseason rounds that the Phillies conquered last year. Along the way, the 25-year-old southpaw fed off Philadelphia's energy and went 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA in three home starts.
"Yeah, I think I've been fortunate enough to be able to pitch at home," Hamels said. "I think any time you're able to pitch here in Philadelphia, and especially on the right side of Philadelphia fans, it's exciting. You kind of take that energy and you try to channel it and direct it towards the opposing team."
Hamels can only hope that this year's postseason debut proves to be more memorable than the regular-season debut that he endured at Coors Field on April 10. The Rockies celebrated their home opener that afternoon by knocking the Phillies southpaw around for seven runs and 11 hits in just 3 2/3 innings.
After enduring another shaky outing against the Padres seven days later, Hamels managed to go 2-1 with a 2.76 ERA over the course of his next six starts. This would be the longest respectable stretch within a season during which he allowed four earned runs in 13 of his 32 starts.
'Baseball is a hard game," Hamels said. "You have opponents that are really trying to get after you, and I think it's something where the expectations -- if you really start to fall into those sort of expectations -- you can really get yourself in trouble by putting too much pressure on yourself."
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
MLB: Atlanta loses ground
ATLANTA --- Jorge Cantu hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh inning and the Florida Marlins damaged Atlanta's playoff hopes, winning 5-4 Tuesday to snap the Braves' seven-game winning streak.
Atlanta, which had won 15 of 17 overall, fell three games behind NL wild card-leading Colorado with five games left.
The Rockies beat Milwaukee 7-5 in 11 innings, and their win eliminated Florida from playoff contention.
Chris Coghlan had three hits and scored twice for the Marlins, who had lost three of four. Cameron Maybin's two-run homer gave the Marlins a 4-1 lead in the fifth inning, but Atlanta's Matt Diaz hit a tying three-run drive off Brian Sanches in the sixth.
"We'll come tomorrow ready to play," Diaz said. "Tonight we faced Josh Johnson. You get four runs, you say you'd take that. Especially with (Braves starter Tim Hudson) on the mound. He kept us in the game, but we weren't able to capitalize a couple times."
Florida went ahead for good in the seventh. Coghlan led off with a double and advanced on Maybin's sacrifice. Hanley Ramirez was intentionally walked before Cantu's hit off Kenshin Kawakami (7-12) gave the Marlins the lead.
The Braves put runners on first and third with two out in the seventh, but Renyel Pinto got Yunel Escobar to hit a harmless comebacker to end the inning.
Brendan Donnelly pitched a scoreless eighth, and Leo Nunez closed it out for his 25th save in 32 chances.
"We almost pulled it off," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "We had a couple chances."
(c) The Associated Press.
Giants close Wild Card gap to four games
PHOENIX -- "Stranger things have happened," Bruce Bochy was saying late Wednesday night.
San Francisco's manager referred to a long-shot rally by the Giants into the playoffs -- not to Jonathan Sanchez stepping up as the rotation's stopper.
Although that was strange enough.
In a rotation of marquee pitchers with headlines and honors, you wouldn't expect Sanchez to be the one to put his foot down and call for order, as he did in taking a shutout into the sixth inning of a 5-2 victory over the D-backs that kept the Giants' playoff hearts beating.
The conclusion of a 3-3 road trip again pulled the Giants within four games of National League Wild Card leader Colorado. The Giants remained tied with the Braves, also four games behind.
"Our starters have been struggling, and it was nice to have a guy go out and put a stop to it for us," Bochy said. "Sanchez pitched great. He was the guy."
Sanchez (7-12) went 5 1/3 innings, striking out nine while allowing six hits and two runs, for only his eighth win in 42 starts since June 29, 2008.
He wasn't the only guy. Juan Uribe drove in the Giants' first three runs with their only two hits through 6 2/3 innings -- an RBI double in the second and two-run homer in the sixth.
Sanchez wasn't even the only guy factoring into stopping the D-backs: Batterymate Eli Whiteside got him over an alarming beginning with a fix-it lecture worthy of Mr. Goodwrench.
But the main guy clearly was the left-hander who evidently specializes in the unexpected, such as his July 10 no-hitter. For that, he will get a plaque on AT&T Park's Giants Walk of Fame during the upcoming homestand.
For what Sanchez did Wednesday night, perhaps he could get a Nobel Peace Prize. After all, he did restore peace to a pitching staff that had dodged booby traps for most of a week.
"I know I wanted to go deeper in the game," said Sanchez, who had set the tone for the rotation's stumble by lasting only 4 1/3 innings in a Friday loss in Los Angeles.
Maybe he now sounded a more pleasant tone to follow.
"Hopefully, [Brad] Penny can come back tomorrow and go even deeper," Sanchez said, referring to the right-hander who will face the Chicago Cubs in Thursday's opener of an AT&T Park series. "We've been doing well all year, and it's just been weird how everyone had trouble the last time."
Sanchez had trouble at the outset of this one, too. He walked Arizona's first two batters, Chris Young and Ryan Roberts.
So Whiteside, making one of his occasional starts behind the plate, paid him a mound visit.
"I spotted some mechanical glitch," Whiteside said. "He was too tall throwing the ball, and it kept sailing up. So I went out to tell hm that, he fixed it, and he was fine."
Was he ever. Sanchez threw 16 of his next 17 pitches for strikes, 22 of 25. He threw as many balls to the first two batters as he did to the next 11. He walked no more, obviously, and struck out nine.
Bochy, a former catcher himself, was deeply appreciative of Whiteside's assist.
"It's so important for a catcher to help the pitcher. There's a lot more to the job than just receiving," Bochy said. "You have to help your pitcher through the tough spots, and Whiteside does as good a job of that as I've ever seen. I mean that."
Sanchez recalled the visit from Whiteside, which also drew Uribe to the mound. While the catcher dealt with the mechanical, the shortstop went to the mental.
"'Focus. Think out here,'" Sanchez said Uribe told him. "'Take a deep breath, and do your job.'"
Between Uribe's advice and his bat, Sanchez had all the help he needed.
Uribe followed a one-out walk of Pablo Sandoval in the sixth with his 14th homer, off Arizona starter Kevin Mulvey (0-2), staking Sanchez to a 3-0 lead.
The D-backs made things tight in the bottom of the sixth, when Rusty Ryal chased Sanchez with a triple that scored Miguel Montero, who had led off with a single, and scored on pinch-hitter Gerardo Parra's sacrifice fly off reliever Bob Howry to cut the lead to 3-2.
The Giants had jumped into a 1-0 lead in the second, which Sandoval led off with a walk before chugging all the way home on Uribe's double up the left-center alley. Sandoval singled for a run in the seventh, when the Giants got another run on an error at first by Ryal.
Following Howry's mid-game "save," the Giants turned to that ideal bullpen shuttle: Sergio Romo in the seventh, then Jeremy Affeldt for his 33rd hold in the eighth, and Brian Wilson for his 36th save in the ninth.
By then, the Rockies had lost to the Padres in Denver. The games-behind column shrunk by one.
Sanchez knew what to make of that. The math is as simple as is the hope.
"I hope we win tomorrow," he said, "and they lose; then it'll be three."
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
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