The Hunt for Robi October: O's - Yanks Gamer I

After finally catching up with the necessary number of plate appearances to qualify at this point in the season, Robinson Cano finds himself second in the batting race at .342, while The Captain is at .340.  A player needs 502 plate appearances by the end of the championship season to qualify for the title.  Cano should easily hit that number, but the tough part will be catching Joe Mauer, who is at .349 and has chewed up opposing pitchers lately, with 13 hits in 31 at bats over his last seven games.

Hideki Matusi will be starting in left field tonight with Melky Cabrera getting the night off, as Cano will DH and Miguel Cairo get the nod at second base.  Since Godzilla returned to the lineup, he has had 16 hits in 39 at-bats, with 9 rbis.  Melky over that same span: 10 hits in 45 at-bats, driving in five.

Cory Lidle takes the mound in what may be his last chance to earn a spot in the rotation for October over Jaret Wright, though Johnson's recently-disclosed back problems certainly are cause for concern and add a new wrinkle to the situation.  Hayden Penn is on the mound for Baltimore.

The Yankees are back in a tie with Detroit for the best record in the majors.  The lineups are in the extended.  Comment away.

Baltimore

B. Roberts 2b .293
M. Mora 3b .274
N. Markakis rf .298
M. Tejada ss .332
J. Gibbons dh .278
R. Hernandez c .273
C. Patterson cf .275
K. Millar 1b .260
D. Newhan lf .241

NY Yankees

J. Damon cf .291
D. Jeter ss .340
B. Abreu rf .342
A. Rodriguez 3b .284
G. Sheffield 1b .296
R. Cano dh .342
H. Matsui lf .297
M. Cairo 2b .237
S. Fasano c .140

Comments

[attackgerbil]

Lidle has a 1-2-3 first throwing seven pitches, 6 for strikes.

Jeter doubles with one out in the first, then gets pushed over on a ground-out by Abreu. ARod walks to bring up Sheff.

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Sheff grounds out to second to end the opportunity.

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Bases loaded to Damon as Henn walks Fasano (!) after singles from Matsui and Cairo.

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Yankees get the benefit of the call at first on what looked like a dead heat at first on the 463. Run scores.

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Jeter hits a rifle a bit to the left of Mora who makes a great grab and fires to first for the third out.

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Millar singles to right to lead off the Baltimore third.

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Another homer given up by Lidle, this time to Gibbons, makes it 2-1 Baltimore.

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Nice catch by Jeter with an over-the-shoulder on a quail by Patterson to end the inning.

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Cano homers to tie the game.

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Rodrigo López in for Penn, who was pulled for a medical reason.

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Low called strike three to Cairo for the first out.

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Another very low strike to lead off to Damon.

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Damon is down swinging to end the inning, NY and Baltimore tied at two heading to the fifth.

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Now Lidle doesn't get the call on a borderline pitch at the knees. Grr. Then Millar singles to left on the full count.

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Comebacker to Lidle who throws to Jeter and on to first for the 163 dp. Nice play.

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Another comebacker ends the Oriole 5th. Jeter-Abreu-Arod coming up.

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Jeter gets a single to left to go 2 for 3 so far on the night, leading off the Yankee 5th.

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Abreu sends one off the right field facade to make it 4-2 New York.

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That was a heckuva shot; line drive that was just starting to drop as it pegged the upper deck facade.

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Cano is now 2-3 as he singles to right over a leaping Brian Roberts.