When taking a look at the pitching probables for today's series finales in New York and Boston, your first instinct would probably be to think that the Yankees and Red Sox were simply giving these games away. In Fenway, the Sox decided to push knuckleballer Tim Wakefield's next start back until Monday's game at Yankee Stadium, instead calling on triple-A hurler Kason Gabbard for a spot start against the Braves. The 
southpaw responded by going five strong, striking out seven and holding the Braves to just two runs. Against Braves veteran Tim Hudson, the Sox gathered six runs on eight hits, chasing Hudson after 4.2 innings. Atlanta managed three hits and a run off of closer Jonathan Papelbon, but Boston held on to take the victory 6-3. Gabbard was sent back down to the PawSox after the game, replaced on the roster by reliever Manny Delcarmen. Boston became the first team to win 30 games this season, and maintain the best record in the bigs. Meanwhile in Queens, the Yankees started their own rookie (the seventh rookie to start a game for New York this season) and were rewarded with an even better performance, as Tyler Clippard held the Mets to just one run on three hits in his six inning major league debut, while Mets phenom John Maine allowed five runs in his five inning performance. Super-closer Mariano Rivera allowed a ninth inning homerun to second-baseman Damion Easley, but managed to close the game and seal a Yanks victory at 6-2. If the Detroit Tigers were still feeling any sting from losing the 2006 World Series to the Cardinals, their performance against St. Louis this weekend may have helped ease the pain just a little bit. The Tigers took the game 6-3 behind Justin Verlander's eight inning, two run gem. Said third baseman Brandon Inge (1-3, HR, 2 RBI) after the game " I feel pretty good, but it's kind of a year late, isn't it?" If you're one of 2.3 million pitchers between ages seven and eighteen, listen up: no matter how well you're pitching in a game from now on, after a limited number of pitches, you're out. So says Little League International (which governs 7500 leagues across the globe), after orthopedic surgeons reported a marked increase in pitching-related injuries among youths, many of which require complicated surgical procedures to mend. Depending on age, youngsters may be held to between 75-and-105 pitches, and also will face stricter rest requirements between outings. The new regulation looks to save a bunch of young arms from wear and tear injuries, but it will also add a whole new element of strategy to the ever-popular Little League World Series, in which coaches who previously relied on one or two star pitchers will be forced to depend on a deep pitching staff among their kids.Image Source: MLB.com
1 comment:
jolly good jolly good. cup of tea then. very well put my man.
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