Red Sox aware of the Yankees feature for the Berkshire Eagle (5/24/07)
Sox are staying low key
By Denis Gorman,
Special to The Eagle
Thursday, May 24
NEW YORK--By themselves, Mike Lowell's words were simple statements of fact. But, if you looked beyond the readily apparent, he sounded a warning that New England is intimately familiar with:
The Yankees are coming.
"Honestly, I don't think we're looking at it that way," the third baseman said Monday afternoon, after being asked if the Red Sox's nine-and-a-half game lead in the division provided a margin for error. "We're playing good baseball and we're taking each series (one) at a time. We're just focusing on what we have at hand.
"The rivalry is fun; it's exciting. But in what the game means? It's the same as playing the Orioles. You win, you gain a game, standings wise. From a standings standpoint, we can't get too wrapped up where we are in the division.
"I don't think anything's a knockout punch until you get to September and the calculator is putting some bad percentages up. I'd rather be where we are now than a game up or a game back. We're too smart as a team to do that ... I hope."
For the Yankees, the season has been defined by its inconsistency.
Despite ranking fourth in baseball behind Detroit, Boston and Cleveland in offense, averaging 5.31 runs per game, the Yankees have had too many nights where reputations have overshadowed production, like Tuesday night's 7-3 loss to the Red Sox. The Red Sox's lead over the Yankees in the American League East is now 10 1/2 games.
April 1 may have been the scheduled Opening Day, but the Yankees season could have begun in the eighth inning of Saturday's 10-7 loss to the Mets.
Losing 8-2 at the start of the inning, the Yankees scored three times, on two bases-empty home runs by Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada, along with a RBI double by part-time first baseman Josh Phelps, cutting the Mets' lead to 8-6.
After the Mets scored two runs at the start of the ninth on Robinson Cano's third error of the game, the potent Yankees struck back, with Rodriguez scoring on right-fielder Bobby Abreu's fielder's choice and a throwing error by Mets closer Billy Wagner. In his post-game press conference, Joe Torre praised his team's willingness to cope with adversity.
Sunday night, needing a win in order not to be swept and facing John Maine, one of the National League's best pitchers, the Yankees offensive renaissance continued, beating their cross-town rivals, 6-2. Much like Saturday's game, the Yanks' bats were led by Rodriguez and Posada, both of whom homered, and Derek Jeter who has been hot through the first seven weeks of the season.
In the Yankees' 6-2 win Monday night, Rodriguez and designated hitter Jason Giambi hit home runs in the first two innings, giving the A.L. East's second-best team a lead that it wouldn't relinquish.
Rodriguez, Posada, Jeter and Johnny Damon are the lynchpins behind the Yankees offensive uprising. The quartet has combined to go 16-for-50 with 10 runs scored, six home runs, three stolen bases, a double and 10 RBI in the Yankees last four games. As they go, so go the Yankees.
And don't think that the Red Sox don't know that.
"I don't think there's a good time to catch the Yankees," said set-up man Brendan Donnelly. "They are a dangerous offensive team one-through-nine. You can never count a team like that out."
Less than a year after being criticized for not doing enough, Rodriguez has reclaimed his mantle as the sport's premier offensive threat. Last season, in what was widely considered his worst statistical year since his rookie campaign, Rodriguez still hit .290, 35 home runs, drove in 121, scored 133 runs and stole 15 bases.
Through 44 games this season, ARod is hitting .310. He leads the league in these offensive categories; runs (39), home runs (18), RBI (43) and total bases (115).
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/sports/ci_5973386
By Denis Gorman,
Special to The Eagle
Thursday, May 24
NEW YORK--By themselves, Mike Lowell's words were simple statements of fact. But, if you looked beyond the readily apparent, he sounded a warning that New England is intimately familiar with:
The Yankees are coming.
"Honestly, I don't think we're looking at it that way," the third baseman said Monday afternoon, after being asked if the Red Sox's nine-and-a-half game lead in the division provided a margin for error. "We're playing good baseball and we're taking each series (one) at a time. We're just focusing on what we have at hand.
"The rivalry is fun; it's exciting. But in what the game means? It's the same as playing the Orioles. You win, you gain a game, standings wise. From a standings standpoint, we can't get too wrapped up where we are in the division.
"I don't think anything's a knockout punch until you get to September and the calculator is putting some bad percentages up. I'd rather be where we are now than a game up or a game back. We're too smart as a team to do that ... I hope."
For the Yankees, the season has been defined by its inconsistency.
Despite ranking fourth in baseball behind Detroit, Boston and Cleveland in offense, averaging 5.31 runs per game, the Yankees have had too many nights where reputations have overshadowed production, like Tuesday night's 7-3 loss to the Red Sox. The Red Sox's lead over the Yankees in the American League East is now 10 1/2 games.
April 1 may have been the scheduled Opening Day, but the Yankees season could have begun in the eighth inning of Saturday's 10-7 loss to the Mets.
Losing 8-2 at the start of the inning, the Yankees scored three times, on two bases-empty home runs by Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada, along with a RBI double by part-time first baseman Josh Phelps, cutting the Mets' lead to 8-6.
After the Mets scored two runs at the start of the ninth on Robinson Cano's third error of the game, the potent Yankees struck back, with Rodriguez scoring on right-fielder Bobby Abreu's fielder's choice and a throwing error by Mets closer Billy Wagner. In his post-game press conference, Joe Torre praised his team's willingness to cope with adversity.
Sunday night, needing a win in order not to be swept and facing John Maine, one of the National League's best pitchers, the Yankees offensive renaissance continued, beating their cross-town rivals, 6-2. Much like Saturday's game, the Yanks' bats were led by Rodriguez and Posada, both of whom homered, and Derek Jeter who has been hot through the first seven weeks of the season.
In the Yankees' 6-2 win Monday night, Rodriguez and designated hitter Jason Giambi hit home runs in the first two innings, giving the A.L. East's second-best team a lead that it wouldn't relinquish.
Rodriguez, Posada, Jeter and Johnny Damon are the lynchpins behind the Yankees offensive uprising. The quartet has combined to go 16-for-50 with 10 runs scored, six home runs, three stolen bases, a double and 10 RBI in the Yankees last four games. As they go, so go the Yankees.
And don't think that the Red Sox don't know that.
"I don't think there's a good time to catch the Yankees," said set-up man Brendan Donnelly. "They are a dangerous offensive team one-through-nine. You can never count a team like that out."
Less than a year after being criticized for not doing enough, Rodriguez has reclaimed his mantle as the sport's premier offensive threat. Last season, in what was widely considered his worst statistical year since his rookie campaign, Rodriguez still hit .290, 35 home runs, drove in 121, scored 133 runs and stole 15 bases.
Through 44 games this season, ARod is hitting .310. He leads the league in these offensive categories; runs (39), home runs (18), RBI (43) and total bases (115).
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/sports/ci_5973386
posted by Denis P. Gorman at 9:06 AM
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