Rivera gets rocked.
The Mets manhandled the Phillies.
The Yanks are on their way to Baltimore.
Oh and, Johnny Bench had Lefty's number.
Leading Off
OK, it's not quite non-Manny because he's being referenced in the leading off. That current left-fielder for the Red Sox looks pretty good now. Not only is he younger and better, but now he's going to play in approximately 50 more games. And last night, he homered in another Sox victory. He seems to have a knack for the clutch. For the record, Jason Bay is currently batting .316, with eight home runs and 29 runs batted in.
Regional Roundup
The Phillies lose a piece of their past, the Orioles sweep a contender and the Nats stop a streak.
- Danny Ozark, who managed the Phillies to back-to-back-to-back division titles, died. Bill Conlin has a good column on him today.
- The Orioles pushed the Twins aside. Traffic could be rough in Birdland.
- With all the Manny news, it's doubtful anyone noticed it was the Nats who stopped the Dodgers' 13-game home winning streak.Joel Hanrahan is pitching well.
- John Russell is keeping a promise.
Best of the Rest
- Maybe the Manny revelation shook Mo Rivera. That could be the reason he blew a game.
- David Eckstein might be little. But he came up big for the Padres.
- Mark Buehrle tossed a gem.
- Micah Owings helped himself.
Batter's Eye
- Some pitchers really can't hit. So Jerry Crasnick gives us the nine worst.
Today in history
1973 -- Johnny Bench of the Cincinnati Reds hit three home runs off Philadelphia's Steve Carlton for the second time in his career, in a 9-7 victory. Bench drove in seven runs.
1984 -- The Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers battled for eight hours and six minutes in the longest game ever. After playing 17 innings the previous day, the teams met again before a regularly scheduled game, making the total 34 innings for two days. Harold Baines homered off Chuck Porter with one out in the bottom of the 25th for a 7-6 victory. Tom Seaver won both games for the White Sox.
The Closer
The Mets dominated the Phillies, earning a two-game sweep.
This is a good thing for baseball. It's going to need another year of battling between these two teams for this rivalry to really take off.
Well, that and for the Mets to win the division, or beat the Phillies in a playoff series. But we're not saying that one too loudly.
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