Game 5 to be dedicated to ALS advocate
PHILADELPHIA -- One of the greatest players in Major League Baseball history was struck down nearly 70 years ago by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and ever since then the disease has been synonymous with the name of Lou Gehrig.
Major League Baseball is dedicating Monday night's Game 5 of the 105th World Series to its ongoing 4-ALS Awareness initiative as a tribute not only to Gehrig, but also to the lifelong baseball fan who inspired MLB to make everyone aware of the disease that claimed his own life on Sunday.
Michael Goldsmith died at age 58 after battling ALS for three years. He passed away in a hospice at St. Peter's Hospital in Albany, where he had been living since early August, according to his surviving family. The cause of death was respiratory failure from ALS, which is a progressive disease that destroys the nerve cells controlling voluntary muscle movement.
As part of Major League Baseball's first-ever dedication of the World Series to community service, FOX and MLB Network will promote MLB.com/4ALS, which will provide fans the opportunity to donate money and link to "4-ALS" organizations for more information. A public-address announcement will be made at Citizens Bank Park to inform and encourage fans to get involved.
"I am deeply saddened by the passing of Michael Goldsmith," Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. "He helped us plan and arrange for ceremonies at all of our ballparks this past July 4 to raise awareness for ALS and to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Gehrig's renowned farewell speech. On behalf of Major League Baseball, my condolences go out to his family and friends."
Goldsmith was honored at Yankee Stadium on July 4, the day that all MLB ballparks held "4ALS Awareness" events to get fans involved. Goldsmith, a New Yorker and law professor at Brigham Young University, stood near home plate that day and threw out the first pitch to Mark Teixeira.
Goldsmith spent the last three years of his life battling the same disease that struck Gehrig, baseball's "Iron Horse," in 1939. After he was diagnosed in 2006, Goldsmith attended a fantasy camp run by the Orioles -- the team he grew up supporting. In November 2008, he wrote a guest column in Newsweek that called on MLB to do more to fight the disease that ended Gehrig's life at the age of 37 on June 2, 1941.
"I now look to the game of my youth to help give me and others like me a chance for life," he wrote in that article.
Subsequent MLB efforts continue. MLB has been working with four leading organizations -- The ALS Association, ALS TDI, Augie's Quest (the Muscular Dystrophy Association's ALS research initiative) and Project A.L.S. -- whose primary goals are to find a cure for ALS.
The "4-ALS Awareness" initiative logo was displayed frequently at home ballparks on July 4, from giant scoreboards to the bases to a logo on players' chests. Following the game, first base from each stadium was signed by players for MLB.com Auction bidding to raise additional funds for the participating organizations.
That same day at MLB and Minor League ballparks included players and celebrities reading Gehrig's famous "Luckiest Man" speech as a 70th anniversary tribute. People with ALS were introduced; public-service announcements recorded by former MLB players Curt Schilling and Nolan Ryan were played; and educational information was distributed.
"On July 4, more people received an introduction to ALS, what it is, what it does and what it means than on any day in the history of mankind," said Schilling, a longtime supporter of the fight against ALS, having raised more than $10 million through his "Curt's Pitch for ALS" program and other events.
Dorine Gordon, president and CEO of The ALS Association's Greater New York Chapter, described the initiative at Yankee Stadium as a "truly memorable experience," highlighted by Derek Jeter's reading of the Gehrig speech.
"It was very emotional for both the players and the fans, and it truly was a goosebumps moment," Gordon said.
Moments such as those were made possibly largely by Goldsmith.
"Being on the field with my father was the single greatest moment of my life," Austen Goldsmith told The New York Times on Sunday. "I think he was holding on for that."
Mr. Goldsmith's condition deteriorated, and in August, he was moved from Utah to be closer to his mother, Anitta Goldsmith, 80, who was born in Austria and moved to what was then called Palestine in 1939. Michael Goldsmith was born in Israel on March 5, 1951, and in 1955, the family moved to New York. He went to Cornell, and in 1975, was graduated from law school there. Goldsmith worked as an assistant U.S. attorney and later served as a counsel to the New York State Organized Crime Task Force.
Goldsmith continued to teach at Brigham Young after the ALS was diagnosed.
"I have spent more than two decades exhorting law students to take a proactive 'can do' approach to the law and life in general," Mr. Goldsmith wrote via e-mail in late June. "And I have tried to lead by example, showing them how creativity and commitment to a cause can produce positive results. The success of this effort demonstrates yet again how 'the power of one' can make a difference."
In the past few months, Goldsmith communicated with a mouse and synthesizer, using the last strength in his right hand.
Goldsmith is survived by his wife, Carolyn Goldsmith, and his two children from a previous marriage, Jillian Goldsmith and Austen Goldsmith, both of New York, as well as two sisters, Lynn Goldsmith and Edna Goldsmith, and their mother, Anitta Goldsmith of Albany.
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
First lady, Dr. Biden on hand for Game 1
NEW YORK -- First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, will attend Game 1 of the 105th World Series on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium in support of Welcome Back Veterans, Major League Baseball announced on Tuesday amid preparations for the big opener.
It will be the first of four consecutive games prefaced by overall themes pertaining to MLB's Go Beyond campaign for community service and charitable involvement -- an unprecedented approach to the Fall Classic. Game 2 will focus on Volunteerism and Community Service (including the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevy), Game 3 will focus on Stand Up To Cancer and Game 4 will focus on Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI).
"We are looking forward to welcoming the First Lady and Dr. Biden to Yankee Stadium and Game 1 of the 2009 World Series," Commissioner Bud Selig said. "We hope their presence at both the game and the hospital visit will be an inspiration to the veterans, who proudly served our country. The support for WelcomeBackVeterans.org, an incredibly important initiative for Major League Baseball, will make a difference as we look to help today's veterans and military families with their transition back to civilian life."
Prior to the game, Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden also will join Major League Baseball and the New York Yankees in visiting patients at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center in the Bronx.
Then the First Lady and Dr. Biden will escort Yankees legend and World War II veteran Yogi Berra and Tony Odierno, who will be throwing out the first pitch. Odierno, a West Point graduate who lost his left arm during the war in Iraq, received the Bronze Star with Valor and a Purple Heart and now works for the Yankees in Stadium Operations. Odierno's father is Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the current Commanding General of the Multi-National Force in Iraq. The elder Odierno is credited with implementing the counterinsurgency strategy that led to the decrease in violence during his tenure as the Commanding Officer of the Multi-National Corps in Iraq.
Welcome Back Veterans is an MLB Charities initiative designed to support returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families with mental health treatment and job opportunities. In partnership with the McCormick Foundation, MLB has raised money for this cause through auctions on MLB.com, sales of special Stars & Stripes logo caps that have been worn by all 30 clubs on national patriotic holidays and other fundraising activities.
To date, WelcomeBackVeterans.org has awarded $5.8 million in grants to non-profit agencies across the country targeting veterans' greatest needs, including mental health and job training/placement. WelcomeBackVeterans.org has teamed with the University Hospitals of Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, the University of Michigan and Stanford, which are developing treatment procedures for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other mental health issues of returning veterans and their families.
Game 1 will feature special pregame ceremonies and also the airing of the Welcome Back Veterans public service announcement on FOX. This begins what will be a recurring focus in this World Series -- the first such undertaking, one that will reach the largest global audience in the course of a baseball year. Go Beyond is based on the original message of President Barack Obama via serve.org and his emphasis on public service.
Alex Rodriguez and Jimmy Rollins each took part in Tuesday's unprecedented World Series Media Day, with players from both teams seated at tables surrounded by media. Each of the players had a single piece of paper on their individual tables, describing the Go Beyond themes of each of the first four games, with buttons pertaining to those initiatives attached to each paragraph.
"I love that. I see the Boys & Girls club, that's where I grew up," Rodriguez said, reading the paper. "I'm going to be biased toward that. I think it's great. Anything we can do to help out in the community. We did that with Hope Week here during the season. Obviously Major League Baseball is doing their part and I'm glad to be part of it."
"That's good. It's a good thing for baseball," Rollins said. "Look at the length of the season. The number of people that at some point played baseball, who aspire to play baseball, look at all the legends. Whenever we have an opportunity to sponsor, to help out, give money, bring attention to something, we're doing our job as part of the American culture. Baseball and America go hand-in-hand. When baseball's going well, America's going well.
"We seem to keep smiles on people's faces. Anytime you can partner up, just bring joy to people who are going through things rough in their lives, you're doing your job. Not just as a baseball player, but as an American. You're doing your job as a role model. And hopefully we can add more things to the list."
Major League Baseball partnered with the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) to launch I Participate, a major new initiative that calls on the power of the entertainment industry, national political figures and Major League Baseball to promote the importance of volunteerism and community service. The initiative benefits welcomebackveterans.org and four other charitable organizations.
President Obama appeared during the last All-Star Game in St. Louis to throw out the first pitch, and he and all living Presidents were involved in a ceremony to recognize 30 People All-Stars Among Us representatives. Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden have made honoring military families one of their top priorities and together have committed to raising public awareness and appreciation of the special sacrifices and contributions military servicemen and women and their families make.
WelcomeBackVeterans.org is the resource for veterans, their families and for all Americans to find out how they can participate, help and make a difference.
"Major League Baseball is honored to use the grand stage of the World Series as a platform to raise awareness for these important causes," Selig said. "With millions of fans watching the World Series, we have the unique opportunity to help support initiatives that make a difference in the lives of others."
Here are other Go Beyond initiatives that will follow:
Game 2: Roberto Clemente Legacy, Volunteerism & Community Service
The winner of the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevy will be announced prior to this game. Bestowed annually, the award honors the player who combines giving back to the community with outstanding skills on the baseball field. In 1973, the award was named in honor of Clemente, who died on Dec. 31, 1972, during a humanitarian mission. Game 2 will honor Clemente's generous spirit, as MLB hosts a benefit fundraiser throughout Yankee Stadium.
Game 3: Stand Up To Cancer
Game 3 will raise awareness and money for Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), as MLB will promote the importance of supporting the fight against cancer through a number of special activities. MLB sponsor MasterCard will donate $1 million to Stand Up To Cancer if a "Hit It Here" sign in the outfield is hit with a home run during Game 3. In addition, MasterCard pledged $1,000 to SU2C for every homer hit throughout the postseason. MLB will broadcast an SU2C PSA in the ballpark, on TV, on MLB.com and on MLB Network. Also, current players, along with MLB executives and SU2C dignitaries, will visit patients in cancer care at a local hospital.
In 2008, Selig made a commitment on behalf of MLB to Stand Up To Cancer, an initiative created to raise money to accelerate ground-breaking cancer research. Selig announced an initial contribution of $10 million -- becoming the founding, lead partner for the campaign. There have been many examples of this relationship since then, such as the Sheryl Crow All-Star Concert under the Arch in St. Louis, raising money and awareness for SU2C.
Game 4: RBI Presented by KPMG/Boys & Girls Clubs of America
This game will be dedicated to youth as MLB celebrates the importance of Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities. Local young people from both programs will attend a Wanna Play? event and clinic outside the ballpark on the day of Game Four. Wanna Play? is a new, experiential initiative intended to promote baseball and softball participation among young people in underserved communities, experienced the day of this summer's Civil Rights Game in Cincinnati. Activities available during these events include batting and pitching cages, baserunning contests and demonstrations with current and former players.
During an on-field pregame presentation, KPMG, the presenting sponsor of the RBI program, will be joined by representatives of the championship teams from the 2009 RBI World Series presented by KPMG as they present a $1 million check to the youth outreach program designed to increase baseball and softball participation, encourage academic achievement and teach the value of teamwork. KPMG, which became the first presenting sponsor of the RBI program in June 2007, also supports RBI with thousands of volunteers across the country assisting kids both on the field and in the classroom.
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
MLB: Rivera didn't doctor ball
Some Los Angeles Angels fans are arguing that video evidence shows Mariano Rivera doctoring a baseball, but Major League Baseball says it doesn't add up to, well, spit.
A video made the rounds of YouTube on Tuesday showing the Yankees closer looking around and then spitting toward the baseball in his hands during the 10th inning of Monday's game. The next pitch he threw broke like a slider, prompting many to say that Rivera was throwing a spit ball.
Major League Baseball did their due diligence in the matter and, according to the New York Times, found photographic evidence that the spit passed his hand and the ball.
"From the available video and still photography we have, there is no evidence that Rivera spit on the ball," MLB vice president for public relations Patrick Courtney said, according to the newspaper.
Rivera addressed reporters before Tuesday night's game and said he understood that it might have looked like he spit on the ball, but "the angle made it look like it."
"I don't know how it happened," he said. "I laugh at those things, because I don't do those things."
Rivera said he wasn't angry at the accusations.
"No, I laugh at those people. What am I going to get mad for?" he said. "I care about what the fans think about me, but if somebody has followed my career for all these years, I would have to have a lot of spit. I don't care. All that I care is what the fans think. But I don't do that stuff."
At one point, Rivera told reporters, "Hang on a second, I have to spit.''
Saying MLB had not contacted him, Rivera jokingly said that if reporters studied the video and could prove he spit on the ball, he would charter a plane and take them to dinner anywhere in the world.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia wasn't buying it either.
"This is the first I'm hearing about this," he said before Tuesday's game. "I didn't even know that there was any indication that it's been looked at. Never. There are certainly some guys that might be suspect. But never Mariano, with anything that I've heard or been part of. And I'd be shocked if there was anything to that.''
Besides the fact that 45,000 people were in the stands, two umpires were within view and an Angels runner was on second base, petroleum jelly, not spit, is the main ingredient in a spit ball. Spit generally does not have enough weight to radically affect the spin of the ball.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi has first-hand knowledge of Rivera's arsenal, having caught him in the late '90s.
"I kind of laughed [when he heard about the video]," he said. "Mo's been throwing one pitch for a long time. I happened to catch him. He was accused of throwing a spitter. The one thing about a spitter is it consistently does not go one way like Mo's ball consistently goes one way. So I kind of laughed at it. MLB has investigated, they have found nothing about it. We just move on. To me it's a dead story. I caught Mo for four years and I know for sure he never did anything."
(c) 2009 ESPN Internet Ventures.
Angels-Yankees matchup: First base
Teixeira edges out replacement in Anaheim, Morales.
Heading into the American League Championship Series between the Yankees and Angels, beginning Friday at 7:57 p.m. ET on FOX, MLB.com looks at the position-by-position matchups and dissects which team has the advantage.
Mark Teixeira, Yankees
.292 BA, 39 HRs, 122 RBIs
Teixeira has been everything the Yankees hoped he would be when they signed him to an eight-year, $180 million contract last offseason. The switch-hitter spent the second half of the 2008 season with the Angels and was a big part of their offense as he posted solid numbers in his first postseason experience.
Teixeira got off to a bit of a slow start this year as he adjusted to his new surroundings. He hit just .200 with three home runs in April. Once May rolled around, though, he seemed to find his comfort zone and he hit .330 with 13 home runs en route to tying for the AL lead in home runs (39), while leading the circuit in RBIs (122) and total bases (344).
With 103 runs scored and 43 doubles, he joined Albert Pujols as the only players in the Majors to score at least 100 runs, hit at least 40 doubles and hit 35 or more homers.
The Twins held Teixeira to just two hits during the ALDS, but one of them was a game-winner, a home run to left field in the 11th inning of Game 2 to give the Yankees a 4-3 win and a 2-0 series lead. It was remarkably the first walk-off homer of his career.
An excellent defender, Teixeira has good range around the bag and the ability to save his fellow infielders some errors by picking low throws. He ranks second among active first basemen with a .996 fielding percentage, just a fraction behind Doug Mientkiewicz.
Kendry Morales, Angels
.306 BA, 34 HRs, 108 RBIs
When he first came to the Angels organization in 2004 after leaving his native Cuba, Morales was touted as a potential superstar talent. In 2009, that promise came to the forefront in a big way for the 6-foot-1, 220-pound slugger.
In his first full season in the Major Leagues, the 26-year-old switch-hitter put together a monster season, leading the Angels in homers and RBIs.
Taking over the position left vacant by Teixeira's departure via free agency, Morales got off the shuttle to and from Triple-A Salt Lake he'd ridden the last few years and jumped right into the limelight. His 34 homers, 108 RBIs and an on-base plus slugging percentage of .924 all put him among the elite power performers this season. With Vladimir Guerrero missing a significant portion of the season, that was a godsend for the Angels.
It wasn't a straight road to success in the Majors for Morales, a raw talent upon his arrival in the U.S. Morales showed a glimpse of his Major League potential in 2007, batting .294 with a .479 slugging percentage in 119 at-bats, mainly as a designated hitter. After 2008 looked like a step backward, and perhaps it was, there was no doubt Morales had arrived this year.
He really took off in August, earning AL Player of the Month honors with a .734 slugging percentage and 33 RBIs. Second only to Chone Figgins (158) in games played with 152, Morales became the very cornerstone player the Angels expected he'd become when they signed him not quite five years ago.
EDGE: Yankees
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Phils, Rox out for Game 1 momentum
PHILADELPHIA -- Its official title is Game 1 of the National League Division Series, but while visualizing Wednesday afternoon's matchup in Citizens Bank Park, you can't blame the Rockies and Phillies for referring to it as "Game 1 of the 2009 postseason" or even "Game 1 on the march to the World Series."
Both teams have myriad reasons for inflating the importance of a singular baseball game in the midst of what they hope will be 11-win October runs.
The Phillies and Rockies each won their first games of the postseason en route to NL pennants and Fall Classic appearances the past two years. The Rox took down the Phils here in Game 1 of the NLDS in 2007, and the Phillies turned the trick on the Brewers here last season.
Looking back at those games and looking ahead to Wednesday, the saltiest veterans and the most fresh-faced rookies seem to agree: Game 1 isn't the be-all, end-all of a series, but it helps. A lot.
"It's huge," said Phillies slugger Ryan Howard, reminiscing about the 2008 Game 1 in which lefty Cole Hamels two-hit the Brewers over eight innings, Chase Utley drove in two runs with a third-inning double, and Philadelphia had made a statement that would lead to the franchise's first World Series crown in 28 years.
"You have to go out there and set the tone. It's all about getting that first one."
Hamels got that first one and went on to post a 4-0 record, a 1.80 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 35 innings over five postseason starts, adding the World Series Most Valuable Player trophy to that enormous, diamond-encrusted ring.
On Wednesday, it will be new Phillies lefty Cliff Lee getting the chance to get his team rolling.
"It can have a huge effect on the whole series, doing something like what Cole did last year in that first game," Phillies outfielder Matt Stairs said.
"He dominated, took the other team out of it, got our crowd into it, and let his defense and offense relax a little bit and focus more. By pitching an unbelievable game like he did, he changed the momentum early in that series."
And Hamels didn't do that in 2007, when lefty Jeff Francis shut down the Phillies in a 4-2 Colorado win that led to a series sweep.
By that time, of course, the Rockies were in the midst of a stunning tear that saw them win 21 of 22 games. The only thing that could stop them at that point, according to veteran slugger Todd Helton, was themselves.
"That year, Game 1 was very, very important, and I think it was a bigger Game 1 than this year," Helton said.
"That's because we had never been to the playoffs, and if we lost that game, it probably wouldn't have been a good thing for our psyches. But to go in there that day and play the same way we had been playing in the final games of the regular season leading up to it, it was just like, 'OK, no big deal, we can do this,' and we took it from there."
The Rockies haven't won 21 out of 22 this year, but they got close, taking 11 in a row and 17 of 18 when manager Clint Hurdle was replaced by bench coach Jim Tracy at the end of May.
They've carried that mojo all the way here, and now they're also carrying just enough postseason experience to know what to expect when Lee throws the first pitch and the pressure is amped up to 11.
Late-season addition Jason Giambi has been in so many Division Series that he can't remember all of them off-hand.
But one he does remember very well is 2001, when his A's won the first two games over the Yankees in New York, then came back home, lost two in a row, and went on to lose the deciding Game 5 in the Bronx.
"I've lost Game 1s and I've won Game 1s, and the most important thing to remember is that you have to play the way you played all season and don't change a thing," Giambi said.
"Usually in a five-game series, the hot team wins, and right now, this club has been very hot for a long time. I think that bodes well for us."
Giambi said he's been offering his time-tested advice to anyone who wants to pick his postseason brain.
And for a young guy such as rookie outfielder Dexter Fowler, who's never played in a Major League playoff game, it's comforting to be able to walk around the clubhouse and know that Giambi and most of Colorado's core remembers the unique taste of this rarefied autumn air.
"Ask around," Fowler said, pointing to the lockers surrounding him.
"Everyone knows what we're getting into. There are only eight teams left, so you know you have to play at the highest level now. And tomorrow we get the first one out of the way."
Fowler knows a little about pressure, having played on the 2008 United States Olympic team that mixed it up with international power Cuba and came home with a bronze medal. But he admits that this is daunting in a decidedly different way.
"I can't say how I'll handle it until tomorrow, but think I'll be OK," he said with a smile and then a laugh.
"OK. I'll definitely be a little nervous."
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Royals stunned by Yankees in ninth
NEW YORK -- Looks like the new Yankee Stadium might have the same bad vibes as the old Yankee Stadium for the Royals.
Just two outs from their first victory at new Bronx colossus, the Royals had it snatched away, 4-3, as the Yankees rallied against reliever Kyle Farnsworth in the ninth inning.
"It was a messed-up ninth inning, obviously," said Royals manager Trey Hillman.
Hoo boy, was it.
With the Royals leading, 3-2, and ready to send the 44,794 fans streaming to the exits of the new green Cathedral, Farnsworth came into the game and tried to annex his first Royals save. Closer Joakim Soria, who threw 46 pitches in a two-inning save against Minnesota on Sunday, was not ready to pitch.
"Not available," Hillman said. "He's a little sore and needed another day."
There was a promising moment as Farnsworth struck out Brett Gardner. But Francisco Cervelli hit a tap that wiggled past Farnsworth and died on the grass before second baseman Alberto Callaspo could make a play. It was ruled a single.
"I beat myself not fielding that ground ball," Farnsworth said. "If you miss routine plays, they open up big innings sometimes, and that's what happened."
Sure enough. Pinch-hitter Eric Hinske grounded a single past first baseman Billy Butler, who was holding Hinske on the base. Cervelli went to third.
That made Hillman bemoan Farnsworth's miss of the Cervelli tap even more.
"If you make that play right there, then Billy's not on first base [holding the runner]. The ball [Hinske] hit to right field isn't exactly scalded. That's the third out. If we make the second out, the third out's a routine ground ball and the game's over."
But it was still game on.
Robinson Cano flied out deep to center with Cervelli scoring on the sacrifice for a 3-3 tie. Hinske stole second base and went to third on catcher John Buck's throwing error. That prompted an intentional walk to Johnny Damon.
"We elected after that situation to make the young man beat us instead of Johnny Damon, who's done it many times and did it to us several times last year," Hillman said. "Even in the minimal number of games we played, he was Mr. Clutch. And that didn't work out either."
No, because the young man, rookie Juan Miranda, hit a shot off Farnsworth's right shin. The ball hit Farnsworth with such force it bounced into foul ground near the Yankees' dugout along first base.
Hinske raced home. It was game over.
Farnsworth was back in New York, where he spent 2 1/2 sometimes rocky seasons.
"It's always tough when you come back to a place that you've played in," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi.
But Farnsworth said he wasn't extra amped in his return.
"No, not at all," Farnsworth said. "You've still got to keep it under control, nice and easy, which is what I was trying to do. I thought I did a good job except, unfortunately, missing a routine ground ball."
Lost along with the game was Anthony Lerew's chance for his first Major League victory. Making just his second start for the Royals, he did well in a tough assignment. The Yankees had their big guns back in the lineup after a one-day hiatus following the American League East clincher.
Lerew took a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning, but after two outs, Mark Teixeira hit a line drive that just got into the right-field seats to erase the shutout. It was Teixeria's 39th homer this season.
That tied the score and, after the Royals went ahead, 3-1, in the top of the seventh, Nick Swisher opened the second half with a home run over the center-field wall. That ended Lerew's outing.
"Just two pitches that I wish I could have back, but other than that, I thought everything went really good," Lerew said.
Lerew faced the minimum nine batters in the first three innings, thanks to two double plays, and then worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth. Lerew's leaping stab of Alex Rodriguez's bouncer resulted in a force for the second out. But he issued his second walk of the inning to fill the bases before Swisher flied out deep to center.
In all, Lerew gave up just the two runs along with five hits in his six-plus innings.
"He deserved a lot better -- he was outstanding," Hillman said. "I thought he maintained his composure exceptionally well. ... He was in total control. He did a good job, very good."
The Royals got a run off A.J. Burnett in the third inning. Josh Anderson singled and stole second. Yuniesky Betancourt got an infield single and Butler singled to right for the run.
Burnett was relieved by Phil Coke in the seventh, with Mark Teahen on first with a walk and one out. Alex Gordon bunted safely and Anderson smacked a bouncer right back to Coke. However, the pitcher's throw second base was off line and went into center field. The error allowed Teahen to score.
Coke's troubles multiplied. Mitch Maier hit a comebacker that Coke speared to the third-base side of the mound. With one out and Gordon breaking to the plate in a tie game, the left-hander instead threw to first base, where Teixeira scooped the throw out of the dirt while Gordon scored, unchallenged, for a 3-1 lead.
"They gave us some advantages and we just couldn't put them away," Gordon said. "That's what good teams do, they try to come back and they put pressure on us at the end."
Two games at the new Yankee Stadium and two losses.
"We had it and let it go," Gordon said.
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Sox hit three homers but fall behind Danks
CHICAGO -- On the one hand, the White Sox can take some solace in the fact with that despite being down three runs early in Tuesday's game vs. the Twins, their offense displayed some fight one game after being shut out. They even battled back to take a lead on Minnesota.
But when one aspect of Chicago's game comes together, it seems that the other hand has had a knack for getting in the way of late.
This time, the obstruction came in the form of the starting pitching. White Sox lefty John Danks picked a bad time for a rough outing, unable to produce a quality start for the first time in nine starts, as the Twins downed the White Sox, 8-6, at U.S. Cellular Field.
As a result, the South Siders' slim hopes of playoff grandeur took another hit. Chicago lost for the sixth time in seven contests and fell eight games behind American League Central-leading Detroit -- tied for the farthest out of first it has been all season.
And with the victory, the Twins increased their lead over the White Sox for second place to 5 1/2 games.
With just 10 games remaining in the regular season for the South Siders, who have an elimination number of four, pride likely will be on the line more so than a possible playoff berth. It appears only a matter of days until the team officially is knocked from contention.
"We either hit and we don't pitch, and then we pitch and we don't hit," White Sox third baseman Gordon Beckham said. "It's kind of the way it's been. If we do both of those, we probably don't play good defense. It's been frustrating, but we showed that we're still fighting, and hopefully, we can get some wins here."
Danks was not sharp from the outset, surrendering three runs in the first frame. Twins shortstop Orlando Cabrera rifled an 0-2 Danks offering over the left-field wall for a two-run home run and a 2-0 Twins lead just two batters into the game.
It was the first of three home runs served up by Danks, who now has given up 25 this season, compared to 15 in 2008. He made it through six innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits.
"What are you going to do?" Danks said. "I could sit here and say I threw a bunch of good pitches and I just got hit. That's just not the case. I wasn't ahead in the count enough, and I let these guys beat me. Who knows? We've dug ourselves a hole for sure. I don't know if we can get out of it or not. We're going to try our [hardest]."
Chicago did show some life offensively, producing its first extra-base hit in 20 innings when Alex Rios homered to left field in the bottom of the third inning off Twins starter Jeff Manship -- Rios' second dinger since being acquired from Toronto. Following a Scott Podsednik single in the same inning, Beckham also launched a home run to left field, his 13th of the season, to put the White Sox in front, 4-3.
The South Siders (73-79) battered Manship, scoring four runs off him in 2 1/3 innings. Manship left after surrendering five consecutive hits with one out in the third inning.
But Danks (12-10) could not hold the advantage, allowing one run in the fourth, another in the fifth and two more in the sixth. Michael Cuddyer's solo home run to lead off the sixth broke a 5-all tie, and the Twins never trailed again, as five relievers combined to allow just two runs over the final 6 2/3 innings.
Cuddyer added to his sparkling statistics lifetime against Danks. He now is hitting .533 (16-for-30) with five home runs and 11 RBIs.
"Cuddyer owns me," Danks said. "I think we should just walk him every time he comes up. I'm at a loss for words. He's a [good] ballplayer. For whatever reason, those guys got something on me or I just serve up cookies. Before long, all nine of them will hit .500 against me, so we'll go from there."
Chicago first baseman Paul Konerko added a solo home run in the eighth, his 28th of the season, to account for the final margin.
Minnesota remained 2 1/2 games behind Detroit for first place, showing it still has much to play for by winning its second straight game against the South Siders.
"Today, maybe, was a must-win for them, too," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "I think they went out there, our chances are very, very thin and they had a very good chance. I know when they come to Chicago, they know they have a good chance to compete against us and stay close to Detroit, and that's what they're doing."
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