CBSSports.com wire reports
July 31, 2011

NEW YORK — Freddy Garcia helped show why the Yankees didn’t make a trade at the deadline.

The veteran right-hander pitched six strong innings and Brett Gardner hit a bases-loaded triple to help the New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-2 Sunday.

Garcia (10-7) struck out six in six innings and allowed two runs on five hits to send the Yankees 22 games over .500, their highest point of the season.

He was signed by the Yankees as a free-agent, and expectations were that he would fill in for a while, while youngsters Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova got their feet under them.

Instead, he and Bartolo Colon have become mainstays in the Yankees’ rotation. Their strong seasons made it easy for general manager Brian Cashman to stand pat at the trade deadline.

“I think the positions that were presented to me were easy to say no on,” Cashman said. “It’s not like I’m blowing smoke, trying to promote our guys. No, I believe in our guys.”

Derek Jeter left after getting hit by a pitch, but X-rays only showed a bruised right middle finger. Girardi said he didn’t expect to be without the Yankees captain for too long.

“I’m not expecting it to be a week,” Girardi said. “Could it be a day, or two? I think it could be.”

New York improved its major league best record in day games to 31-7 and finished a 10-game homestand with a 7-3 record.

Yankees reliever David Robertson struck out the side in the eighth and pitched 1 1/3 innings of perfect relief overall before Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth for his 27th save in 31 chances.

Garcia won his third straight start and is 8-3 in 12 starts since late May. Now that the Yankees won’t be adding a big-name starter such as Ubaldo Jimenez or Wandy Rodriguez, Garcia will be a key to their rotation for the next two months as they try to win the AL East, as well as games in October.

“You got to be really happy. This division is really tough,” Garcia said. “Hopefully I can pitch the way I’ve been pitching.”

Baltimore’s Jake Arrieta (10-8) walked six batters in five innings, giving up five hits along with four runs. Only two of the runs were earned.

“Six walks, hit by pitch, and the runs he gave up weren’t usually enough to get you beat,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter. “Not a lot offensively, but if he could cut down on the walks, he could get a lot deeper in games and be a lot more valuable pitcher for us.”

The Orioles have lost six of their last seven and 18 times in 24 games. They won the first game of the series on Friday night, then were outscored 29-8 in three games since then.

Adam Jones put the Orioles up early with an RBI single on a hit-and-run in the third inning. Jeter went far to his left at shortstop to reach Jones’ hopper up the middle, but his throw to second was errant and late.

In the fourth, Gardner came to bat after Eric Chavez walked to lead off the inning, Russell Martin reached on shortstop J.J. Hardy’s fielding error and Eduardo Nunez singled. Gardner slowed almost imperceptibly as he rounded second to see where the play would be, then motored straight into third to give the Yankees the lead with his sixth triple this season.

“I couldn’t really bounce back from it,” Arrieta said. “It’s frustrating, putting those guys on base for free and having to face a guy with multiple guys on base with less than two outs. That being said, it doesn’t mean you can’t pitch out of those jams.”

Baltimore’s Chris Davis, acquired the day before in a trade for Koji Uehara, arrived Sunday morning and played first base. He went 0 for 4, striking out in his first at-bat. The Orioles, who struck out 10 times overall, also acquired right-hander Tommy Hunter in the deal, and he will join the team in Kansas City.

Jeter was hit by a pitch from Arrieta on his right knuckles in the third inning and lifted for pinch-hitter Francisco Cervelli in the fourth.

Vladimir Guerrero hit an RBI single in the sixth inning and Robert Andino stole three bases for the Orioles.

Notes

• Hardy went 0 for 17 in the series and made two errors. “J.J. spoiled us with a great level of play,” Showalter said.
• Baltimore, which was swept in a day-night doubleheader on Saturday, hasn’t won a series since June 24-26 against the Reds. The O’s last AL series win was a three-game sweep of Oakland from June 6-8.
• Cervelli, normally the Yankees’ backup catcher, had to take over at second in the fifth inning after batting for Jeter. The Yankees’ usual 2B, Robinson Cano, was the DH Sunday. Cano later moved to second and reliever Hector Noesi had to go into the lineup in the second spot. When the No. 2 place came up again in the order, Robertson was lifted for pinch-hitter Andruw Jones with two outs in the eighth.
• When Baltimore LF Felix Pie batted in the fourth inning, the scoreboard showed the Greek letter pi, along with 15 decimal places of the constant: 3.141592653589793.

CBSSports.com wire reports
July 31, 2011

NEW YORK — Freddy Garcia helped show why the Yankees didn’t make a trade at the deadline.

The veteran right-hander pitched six strong innings and Brett Gardner hit a bases-loaded triple to help the New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-2 Sunday.

Garcia (10-7) struck out six in six innings and allowed two runs on five hits to send the Yankees 22 games over .500, their highest point of the season.

He was signed by the Yankees as a free-agent, and expectations were that he would fill in for a while, while youngsters Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova got their feet under them.

Instead, he and Bartolo Colon have become mainstays in the Yankees’ rotation. Their strong seasons made it easy for general manager Brian Cashman to stand pat at the trade deadline.

“I think the positions that were presented to me were easy to say no on,” Cashman said. “It’s not like I’m blowing smoke, trying to promote our guys. No, I believe in our guys.”

Derek Jeter left after getting hit by a pitch, but X-rays only showed a bruised right middle finger. Girardi said he didn’t expect to be without the Yankees captain for too long.

“I’m not expecting it to be a week,” Girardi said. “Could it be a day, or two? I think it could be.”

New York improved its major league best record in day games to 31-7 and finished a 10-game homestand with a 7-3 record.

Yankees reliever David Robertson struck out the side in the eighth and pitched 1 1/3 innings of perfect relief overall before Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth for his 27th save in 31 chances.

Garcia won his third straight start and is 8-3 in 12 starts since late May. Now that the Yankees won’t be adding a big-name starter such as Ubaldo Jimenez or Wandy Rodriguez, Garcia will be a key to their rotation for the next two months as they try to win the AL East, as well as games in October.

“You got to be really happy. This division is really tough,” Garcia said. “Hopefully I can pitch the way I’ve been pitching.”

Baltimore’s Jake Arrieta (10-8) walked six batters in five innings, giving up five hits along with four runs. Only two of the runs were earned.

“Six walks, hit by pitch, and the runs he gave up weren’t usually enough to get you beat,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter. “Not a lot offensively, but if he could cut down on the walks, he could get a lot deeper in games and be a lot more valuable pitcher for us.”

The Orioles have lost six of their last seven and 18 times in 24 games. They won the first game of the series on Friday night, then were outscored 29-8 in three games since then.

Adam Jones put the Orioles up early with an RBI single on a hit-and-run in the third inning. Jeter went far to his left at shortstop to reach Jones’ hopper up the middle, but his throw to second was errant and late.

In the fourth, Gardner came to bat after Eric Chavez walked to lead off the inning, Russell Martin reached on shortstop J.J. Hardy’s fielding error and Eduardo Nunez singled. Gardner slowed almost imperceptibly as he rounded second to see where the play would be, then motored straight into third to give the Yankees the lead with his sixth triple this season.

“I couldn’t really bounce back from it,” Arrieta said. “It’s frustrating, putting those guys on base for free and having to face a guy with multiple guys on base with less than two outs. That being said, it doesn’t mean you can’t pitch out of those jams.”

Baltimore’s Chris Davis, acquired the day before in a trade for Koji Uehara, arrived Sunday morning and played first base. He went 0 for 4, striking out in his first at-bat. The Orioles, who struck out 10 times overall, also acquired right-hander Tommy Hunter in the deal, and he will join the team in Kansas City.

Jeter was hit by a pitch from Arrieta on his right knuckles in the third inning and lifted for pinch-hitter Francisco Cervelli in the fourth.

Vladimir Guerrero hit an RBI single in the sixth inning and Robert Andino stole three bases for the Orioles.

Notes

• Hardy went 0 for 17 in the series and made two errors. “J.J. spoiled us with a great level of play,” Showalter said.
• Baltimore, which was swept in a day-night doubleheader on Saturday, hasn’t won a series since June 24-26 against the Reds. The O’s last AL series win was a three-game sweep of Oakland from June 6-8.
• Cervelli, normally the Yankees’ backup catcher, had to take over at second in the fifth inning after batting for Jeter. The Yankees’ usual 2B, Robinson Cano, was the DH Sunday. Cano later moved to second and reliever Hector Noesi had to go into the lineup in the second spot. When the No. 2 place came up again in the order, Robertson was lifted for pinch-hitter Andruw Jones with two outs in the eighth.
• When Baltimore LF Felix Pie batted in the fourth inning, the scoreboard showed the Greek letter pi, along with 15 decimal places of the constant: 3.141592653589793.

AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek

Home plate umpire Jim Reynolds, left, and Baltimore Orioles catcher Craig Tatum, center, watch New York Yankees’ Brett Gardner, right, hit a three-run triple off starting pitcher Jake Arrieta in the fourth inning of a baseball game on Sunday, July 31, 2011, at Yankee Stadium in New York.

Brett Gardner hit a bases-loaded triple and the New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-2 Sunday.
Freddy Garcia (10-7) struck out six in six innings and allowed two runs on five hits to send the Yankees 22 games over .500, their highest point of the season.
Derek Jeter left after getting hit by a pitch, but X-rays only showed a bruised right middle finger.
New York, which hadn’t announced any deals by the time the non-waiver trade deadline passed at 4 p.m., improved its major league best record in day games to 31-7 and won for the 20th time in its last 26 home games.
Yankees reliever David Robertson struck out the side in the eighth and pitched 1 1-3 innings of perfect relief overall before Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth for his 27th save in 31 chances.
Baltimore’s Jake Arrieta (10-8) walked six batters in five innings, giving up five hits along with four runs. Only two of the runs were earned.
The Orioles have lost six of their last seven and 18 times in 24 games.
Adam Jones put the Orioles up early with an RBI single on a hit-and-run in the third inning. Jeter went far to his left at shortstop to reach Jones’ hopper up the middle, but his throw to second was off and couldn’t get Nick Markakis in time.
Gardner came to bat after Eric Chavez walked to lead off the fourth, Russell Martin reached on shortstop J.J. Hardy’s fielding error and Eduardo Nunez singled. Gardner slowed imperceptibly to glance into the right-field corner as he rounded second, then motored straight into third to give the Yankees the lead with his sixth triple this season.
Baltimore’s Chris Davis, acquired the day before in a trade for Koji Uehara, arrived Sunday morning and played first base. He went 0 for 4, striking out in his first at-bat. The Orioles, who struck out 10 times overall, also acquired right-hander Tommy Hunter in the deal, and he will join the team in Kansas City.
Jeter was hit by a pitch from Arrieta on his right knuckles in the third inning and lifted for pinch-hitter Francisco Cervelli in the fourth.
Vladimir Guerrero hit an RBI single in the sixth inning and Robert Andino stole three bases for the Orioles.
Notes: Baltimore, which was swept in a day-night doubleheader on Saturday, hasn’t won a series since June 24-26 against the Cincinnati Reds. The O’s last AL series win was a three-game sweep of Oakland from June 6-8. … Cervelli, normally the Yankees’ backup catcher, had to take over at second in the fifth inning after batting for Jeter. The Yankees’ usual 2B, Robinson Cano, was the DH Sunday. Cano later moved to second and reliever Hector Noesi had to go into the lineup in the second spot. When the No. 2 place came up again in the order, Robertson was lifted for pinch-hitter Andruw Jones with two outs in the eighth. … When Baltimore LF Felix Pie batted in the fourth inning, the scoreboard showed the Greek letter pi, along with 15 decimal places of the constant: 3.141592653589793.

NEW YORK (AP) — Derrek Lee was traded from the Baltimore Orioles to Pittsburgh on Saturday night, giving the surprising Pirates a proven bat as they try to stay close in the crowded NL Central race.

In exchange for Lee, the last-place Orioles received minor league first baseman Aaron Baker. The deal was announced about 16 hours before Sunday’s non-waiver trade deadline.

Baltimore also traded setup man Koji Uehara and cash to Texas for right-hander Tommy Hunter and infielder Chris Davis.

As a smooth-fielding first baseman with a capable right-handed bat, Lee fills a pair of holes for the Pirates (54-51), who are looking to snap a record streak of 18 consecutive losing seasons.

“I’ve kind of known it’s been coming the last couple days, so it’s not a shock or anything. It’s just the business of baseball,” Lee said in the Baltimore clubhouse minutes before the deal was announced.

Buoyed by their first shot at the postseason in years, the small-budget Pirates find themselves in an unusual and perhaps unexpected position at this year’s trade deadline, looking to add pieces instead of sell them off.

“They are playing good. They turned it around, so good for them. I’m still playing baseball, so that’s always a good thing,” Lee said. “It would be exciting if we won the World Series.”

A two-time All-Star, the 35-year-old Lee has playoff experience with Florida, the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta. He won a World Series ring with the Marlins in 2003.

Lee’s most productive days appear to be behind him, but he’s been coming on of late after a slow start in Baltimore. He is batting .246 with 12 homers and 41 RBIs this season.

Lee has hit safely in 14 of his last 18 games since July 8, batting .309 during that stretch. He had two homers and seven RBIs on Baltimore’s current road trip.

Lyle Overbay was supposed to provide steady play at first base for the Pirates this season, but he’s hitting only .227 with seven homers and 35 RBIs.

“We are pleased to add a quality veteran player like Derrek Lee to our ballclub,” Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said in a statement. “He is an experienced, productive right-handed hitter and solid defender who should add to our team on the field and in the clubhouse.”

Lee signed a $7.25 million, one-year contract with the Orioles before the season. In 15 major league seasons he has a .281 batting average, 324 homers, 1,060 RBIs and three Gold Gloves.

“I knew coming into the year there was a pretty good chance I wasn’t going to finish it here. So, I understood all of it,” Lee said.

Following a 17-3 loss to the New York Yankees that finished a doubleheader sweep, several Orioles teammates came over to Lee at his locker to ask about the trade and say goodbye with a hug or handshake.

“I enjoyed these guys,” Lee said. “Ballpark is beautiful. We didn’t play as well as we wanted to, I didn’t play as well as I wanted to. But I enjoyed my time.”

Baltimore said the 23-year-old Baker will be assigned to Class-A Frederick. He was hitting .285 with 15 homers, 21 doubles and 72 RBIs with Class-A Bradenton this season.

Baker was selected by Pittsburgh in the 11th round of the 2009 draft. He is a .263 career hitter in 289 minor league games.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

NEW YORK (AP)—Derrek Lee(notes) was traded from the Baltimore Orioles to
Pittsburgh on Saturday night, giving the surprising Pirates a proven bat as they
try to stay close in the crowded NL Central race.

In exchange for Lee, the last-place Orioles received minor league first
baseman Aaron Baker. The deal was announced about 16 hours before Sunday’s
non-waiver trade deadline.

Baltimore also traded setup man Koji Uehara(notes) and cash to Texas for
right-hander Tommy Hunter(notes) and infielder Chris Davis(notes).

As a smooth-fielding first baseman with a capable right-handed bat, Lee
fills a pair of holes for the Pirates (54-51), who are looking to snap a record
streak of 18 consecutive losing seasons.

“I’ve kind of known it’s been coming the last couple days, so it’s not a
shock or anything. It’s just the business of baseball,” Lee said in the
Baltimore clubhouse minutes before the deal was announced.

Buoyed by their first shot at the postseason in years, the small-budget
Pirates find themselves in an unusual and perhaps unexpected position at this
year’s trade deadline, looking to add pieces instead of sell them off.

“They are playing good. They turned it around, so good for them. I’m still
playing baseball, so that’s always a good thing,” Lee said. “It would be
exciting if we won the World Series.”

A two-time All-Star, the 35-year-old Lee has playoff experience with
Florida, the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta. He won a World Series ring with the
Marlins in 2003.

Lee’s most productive days appear to be behind him, but he’s been coming on
of late after a slow start in Baltimore. He is batting .246 with 12 homers and
41 RBIs this season.

Lee has hit safely in 14 of his last 18 games since July 8, batting .309
during that stretch. He had two homers and seven RBIs on Baltimore’s current
road trip.

Lyle Overbay(notes) was supposed to provide steady play at first base for the
Pirates this season, but he’s hitting only .227 with seven homers and 35 RBIs.

“We are pleased to add a quality veteran player like Derrek Lee to our
ballclub,” Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said in a statement. “He is
an experienced, productive right-handed hitter and solid defender who should add
to our team on the field and in the clubhouse.”

Lee signed a $7.25 million, one-year contract with the Orioles before the
season. In 15 major league seasons he has a .281 batting average, 324 homers,
1,060 RBIs and three Gold Gloves.

“I knew coming into the year there was a pretty good chance I wasn’t going
to finish it here. So, I understood all of it,” Lee said.

Following a 17-3 loss to the New York Yankees that finished a doubleheader
sweep, several Orioles teammates came over to Lee at his locker to ask about the
trade and say goodbye with a hug or handshake.

“I enjoyed these guys,” Lee said. “Ballpark is beautiful. We didn’t play
as well as we wanted to, I didn’t play as well as I wanted to. But I enjoyed my
time.”

Baltimore said the 23-year-old Baker will be assigned to Class-A Frederick.
He was hitting .285 with 15 homers, 21 doubles and 72 RBIs with Class-A
Bradenton this season.

Baker was selected by Pittsburgh in the 11th round of the 2009 draft. He is
a .263 career hitter in 289 minor league games.

The New York Yankees defeated the
Baltimore Orioles 17-3 last night, match the season-high runs-
scored they posted at home on July 22 against Oakland.

The Yankees swept the split doubleheader at Yankee Stadium,
beating the Orioles earlier in the day by 8-5.

The Yankees scored 12 runs on 10 hits in the bottom of a
first inning that lasted 58 minutes. It was most runs the team
ever scored in a first inning, and the most since a 13-run
eighth inning against Tampa Bay on June 21, 2005.

Seven Yankees had extra-base hits, with Nick Swisher and
Andruw Jones hitting home runs. In the first inning, all nine
batters reached based at least once and all scored at least one
run.

Shortstop Derek Jeter went 2-for-6 to tie Rafael Palmeiro
for 24th place on Major League Baseball’s all-time career hits
list at 3,020.

Ivan Nova (9-4) gave up six hits and two runs in seven hits
while striking out six for the Yankees.

Zach Britton (6-8) surrendered seven hits and nine runs in
a third of an inning. Reliever Jason Berken allowed eight hits
and seven runs, including the two home runs, in 2 2/3 innings.
Britton and Berken combined for 70 pitches.

The Yankees (63-42) trail the Boston Red Sox by two games
in the American League East Division. The Orioles (42-62) are
last in the five-team division, 22 ½ games behind Boston.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Nancy Kercheval in Washington at
nkercheval@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at
msillup@bloomberg.net