Game time: 6:05 pm

Scheduled starters, Al Leiter v. Tim Wakefield

The game will be on ESPN


Boston weather: 2 pm observation at BOS: 2,500 feet overcast, 5,000 broken, visibility 10 miles, temperature 82F, DP 72 F, wind out of the south at 8 mph.


Forecast: With the dew points as high as they are in the area, if the cloud cover breaks and there's any heating of the surface, it's likely to trigger showers and thundershowers this afternoon and evening. Right now, it looks like the highest propability of showers is north and west of a line running from Providence to Boston, but Boston could get a couple showers later on. It'll be in the low 80's at game time, with the wind out of the south, which is right to left.


Anni

Mehh I'm gonna try this little thing about again today...didn't work well yesterday, but let's see what happens this time.

I'm gonna try another simple rhyme
At least for one more single time
Wakefield is on the mound today
I know he will make those Yankees pay
Like a butterfly fluttering to Belli's glove
He'll pull through, push comes to shove
Against the Yanks, he's fared quite well
This year, in fact, he's been quite swell
May he pitch quite well, and get us a split
And keep these Yanks from chomping the bit
Can the hitting please hit, as well as Friday night?
Because if they lose, the Nation will be in fright
Can the slumping Sox please not suck right now?
And put on a show that makes us wow?
Whatever you can do, just win the damn game
Because all these naysayers are acting quite lame
So please win the game, and please don't suck
And keep the good thing going, like a big ass truck
And that's the end of this silly little rhyme
Hopefully tonight will be a real fun time

Yankees-Red Sox Preview

GAME: New York Yankees (48-41) at Boston Red Sox (50-40).

TIME: Sunday, 6:05 p.m. EDT.

The second Al Leiter was designated for assignment by the Florida Marlins, New York seemed a likely place for him to end up.

The Yankees made that a reality on Saturday, acquiring the 39-year-old left-hander in the hope that he can add some stability to a starting rotation decimated by injuries.

Leiter won't have an opportunity to ease into the job either as he will take the ball when the Yankees complete their four-game series with the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

The Yankees will be responsible for about $400,000 of the $2.8 million remaining on Leiter's 2005 salary, general manager Brian Cashman said Saturday. There were no other players involved in the deal.

''We'll take a chance,'' Cashman said. ''It wasn't going to hurt us in terms of player talent, and it wasn't going to cost us a lot.''

The Yankees are desperate for pitching help with four starters on the disabled list. Kevin Brown, who has been on the DL since June 16 with a back strain, will return to start Monday in Texas.

''It's a very thin market,'' Cashman said. ''In the next two weeks, we need to hold serve, or tread water ... until our reinforcements can come back.''

Cashman conceded that Leiter was no longer a front-line starter but held out hope that he would be an improvement in the back of the rotation. Tim Redding was called up from Triple-A to make an emergency start on Friday, and the Yankees lost 17-1; he was designated for assignment to make room for Leiter.

The Yankees have used 11 starters this season - most in the AL.

''If you compare him (Leiter) to our fifth-starter sample - which is getting rather long - his numbers look a lot better,'' Cashman said.

The Marlins designated Leiter for assignment on Thursday after he went 3-7 with a 6.64 ERA this season. He is due to make $8 million this year despite struggling to pitch like he did in his first stint with the team, when he won 27 games and helped the Marlins win the 1997 World Series.

''Disappointed would not explain how I felt. Then I found out from my agent that teams were interested in me,'' Leiter said in a statement released by the Yankees. ''This is where I started in '87, and 21 years ago I was drafted by the Yankees. To come full-circle, I'm very excited.''

Leiter was 10-8 with a 3.21 ERA for the Mets last season. He is 158-127 with a 3.76 ERA in his career and 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA in 17 career postseason games.

''The fact that he's pitched in New York, he's pitched in championship games, for both Miami and the Mets. The fact that he's had that experience, we think we can catch some lightning in a bottle here,'' Yankees manager Joe Torre said. ''The experience is a big part of what helps when you pitch for our ballclub.''

New York has been searching for a starter because Brown, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright are all on the disabled list. Chien-Ming Wang joined them there on Thursday, a day before he was scheduled to start against Boston, with inflammation in his right shoulder.

If Leiter regains his past form, the Yankees, who have won nine of 11, can take the series and close the gap even further on the first-place Red Sox. They made it two wins out of three with Saturday's 7-4 victory behind 10 strikeouts from Randy Johnson and a two-run home run from Alex Rodriguez.

The Red Sox have lost five of seven.

Johnny Damon singled in the sixth on Saturday to extend his hitting streak to 28 games - the longest in the majors this season and tied for fourth-longest in Red Sox history.

Curt Schilling, still working his way back from ankle problems, pitched a perfect ninth inning.

''He was crisper,'' Boston manager Terry Francona said. ''That was encouraging to see.''

Right-hander Tim Wakefield will try to help get the Red Sox the split on Sunday. The veteran knuckleballer has won four of his last five decisions.

STANDINGS: Yankees - 3rd place, 1 1/2 GB, AL East. Red Sox - 1st place, AL East.

YANKEES PROBABLE STARTER: Leiter (no record). Leiter is 5-5 with a 5.40 ERA in 16 career appearances, including 13 starts, against the Red Sox.

RED SOX PROBABLE STARTER: Wakefield (8-7, 4.05 ERA). The 38-year-old right-hander allowed four runs and nine hits over seven innings in a 4-1 loss to Baltimore last Sunday. He is 8-9 with one save and a 4.37 ERA in 36 career appearances, including 19 starts, against the Yankees.

OFFENSIVE LEADERS: Yankees - Rodriguez, .315 avg., 25 HRs and 76 RBIs; Derek Jeter, 69 runs; Tony Womack, 20 SBs. Red Sox - Damon, .344 avg., 68 runs and 10 SBs; David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, 23 HRs; Ramirez, 83 RBIs.

SEASON SERIES: Tied, 6-6.

STREAKS AND NOTES: Yankees - LHP Leiter was drafted by the Yankees in 1984 but was traded to Toronto in '89. He signed with the Marlins as a free agent before the '96 season and threw Florida's first no-hitter that year, but was traded to the Mets during the Marlins' post-World Series payroll purge. ... Leiter won a career-best 17 games for the Mets in 1998 and pitched a two-hit shutout against Cincinnati to clinch the NL wild card in 1999. With the Mets bullpen depleted in Game 5 of the 2000 World Series against the Yankees, he went 8 2-3 innings before running out of gas and losing 4-2. ... LHP Johnson now has 206 double-digit strikeout games. Only Nolan Ryan, with 215, has more. Red Sox - OF Ramirez and SS Edgar Renteria are each hitting .412 (7-for-17) with a combined one homer and five RBIs against LHP Leiter. ... RHP Matt Clement's five walks Saturday matched a season high. He threw 83 pitches to get eight outs, just 43 of them for strikes. ... General manager Theo Epstein and RHPs Bronson Arroyo and Wakefield were scheduled to join professional musicians on stage in a concert at Fenway on Saturday.

ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Yankees - 19-22 on the road; Red Sox - 25-16 at home.

INJURIES: Yankees - RHP Brown (back), 15-day DL; RHP Pavano (shoulder), 15-day DL; RHP Felix Rodriguez (knee), 15-day DL; RHP Wang (shoulder), 15-day DL; RHP Wright (shoulder), 60-day DL; INF Rey Sanchez (back), 60-day DL. Red Sox - RHP Keith Foulke (knee), 15-day DL; RHP Matt Mantei (ankle), 15-day DL.

It's only July, but this is a big game tonight. Boston cannot allow a gritty NY team the opportunity to take 3 out of 4 this weekend. I want to smash Leiter early, crush their middle relief, get 7 strong out of Wakefield, and then see Halama and co. slam the door on a blowout win.

To go 3-5 in back to back, 4 game series against Baltimore and New York is not impressive, it is a heck of a lot better than 2-6.

Some Anti-Leiter mojo

Is there a rule that if an aging pitcher with terrible numbers becomes available, the Yankees have to sign him? I know his stats are better than the Yankees' #5 collectively, but still. 3-7, 6.64 ERA, and 1.85 WHIP? They actively sought out this guy?

By the way, sounds like Torre's about ready for retirement: ''The fact that he's pitched in New York, he's pitched in championship games, for both Miami and the Mets,'' Yankees manager Joe Torre said.

Good Lord, the whole team is old. Players go there to die, the manager doesn't know what major league teams are named, and the owner is suffering from dementia. How do we not hold that team off?

My anti-Leiter mojo:

Hallelujah!!!

I'll take the smashing, six from Wake, and then maybe Schill and Timlin. Unfortunately hoping from anything from Halama is plain out delusional but maybe we can get as much mileage from Wake as possible so that Tito does NOT have to micromanage. Or even manage.

That is my motto at this point: our hitters have to outplay managerial/coaching and pitching blunders for us to have a shot in any given game. The difference even then will likely be boneheadedness of the KFC/Manny being Manny variety but we will see.

BTW has anybody REALLY looked at the MFY schedule over the next 6-9 weeks. GOOD GOD!!!

I really don't want to see those scumbag Yankees within a half game after tonight. Al Leiter sucks, so there should be no reason to see a couple of crooked numbers on the scoreboard early on (As long as ol' Dale decides its a good idea to run on Bernie and his glass arm....).







Lets go #49, we need you to come up big tonight!





Just Win .

Press Pass

Johnny D is tied with Wade Bogs at 28 for the Red Sox consecutive game hitting streak, and he goes for sole possession of 4rth place tonight.

1. Dom Dimaggio - 34 - 1949
2. Tris Speaker - 30 - 1912
Nomar Garciaparra - 30 - 1997
4. Wade Boggs - 28 - 1985.

If Wake wins tonight, he will take sole possession of 4rth all time winning Red Sox pitcher.
1. Roger Clemens & Cy Young (192)
3. Mel Parnell (123)
4. Tim Wakefield and Louis Tiante (122).

This day in Red Sox history - July 17th
In 1996, the Sox led the Yankees 9-2 in the 7th, but the Yanks stormed back with 9 runs in the 7th, 8th, and 9th. The Sox came back and got 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th to win 12-11.

mlb.com press pass (free registration required)

More mojo:

OK, this calls for more geezer song parody mojo, with apologies to Bob Dylan:

(Wake's Pitches Are) Blowin' In The Wind

How many times must a man take the mound
Before you call him a man?
Yes, past how many bats must a white ball sail
’Fore Mirabelli digs ‘em from the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the knuckleballs fly
Before we applaud as we stand?
Wake’s pitches, my friend, are blowin' in the wind,
Wake’s pitches are blowin' in the wind.

How many times must a man look up stats
Before he can see Wake’s the guy?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must the sportscasters bend
On W-E-E-I?
Yes, 'n' how many more wins from Wake till we know
That his courage is the reason why?
Wake’s pitches, my friend, are blowin' in the wind,
Wake’s pitches are blowin' in the wind.

How many years can Al Leiter exist
And return as a washed-up Yankee?
Yes ‘n’ how many times in our seats must we twist
Before we expect victory?
Yes, 'n' how many years must our Wake dominate
The Yankees before we can see?
Wake’s pitches, my friend, are blowin' in the wind,
Wake’s pitches are blowin' in the wind.

that banana split looks effin good.

Im so sick of hearing about Jeter not being a All Star is some kind of injustice.

A very nice 1st for Wakes.

Awesome 8 pitch 1st

Wakefield is

Here we go, lets get this guy on the ropes early

Isn't that Righetti's old number; was that Leiter's old Yankee number?

Anti-Cy Young mojo.....

That Fan Cam shot made me want to throw up!

No pressure on Leiter. Pitch well against the Red Sox in Fenway and you get to keep your job until the next start. Pitch poorly and retire.

We have to work counts tonight. Leiter has walked a ton of guys this season. Renteria is doing well so far.

It's so funny the Yanks have to resort to this.

WHAT THE F*CK?

That wasn't a swing.

Bruce Froemming needs his eyes checked; time to retire!

Yeah it wasnt even close either

And Al Leiter becomes the best NY pitcher so far this year.

We should start a Cy Young against the Red Sox thread.

Halladay is the only guy worthy of the real thing.

There are a lot of guys on the Os and Blue Jays who would end up on this list.

The Yankees seem to be tailor made for that wall, almost more so than our guys.

Yep, it's gonna be a looong night. I had that feeling.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY

And here we go again....






Bear down Wakes!!!

I HATE JON MILLER more than Joe Morgan tonight.

He should just get on some pinstripes and put an end to any claim of non-partisanship.

What an idiot...

Here we go ahead.

The Yankees are making us look stupid. Like losers.

Sorry, guys...we are in serious need of an ace-caliber pitcher. A stopper. A shut down guy. We just don't have one and nights like this we need it. Wake ain't it, regardless of what Joe Morgan thinks.

What has he said that's bothering you?

Good luck; I doubt AJ Burnett is quite the guy.

Wake's is working on his GG.

Wake, showing his ex-infielder.

Damn the Pesky Pole has been killing us this series

Ahh, thats a bit harsh as it is only 2-0 top 2nd. We're good. Every inning isn't going to be as easy as the first was for Leiter.



Its nights like these that I wish the real ace who wears 38 was healthy and ready to rock. They need him back in the rotation big time.

Someone's starting to heat up.

KFK's getting going.

Nice play Millar sliding 35 feet from the bag into Cano

Nice "play" by Kev.

Someone has got to kill these umps after the series. They have been horrendous behind the plate. I love how Froehmming just continues to beat us and he's on third. Great call on the check swing by Ortiz earlier fatass.

Well that might have been the best thing Millar has done all year.

Damn, we may have found a use for Millar. Well done Kevin.







C'mon Dougie!

I guess that's how they teach breaking up the DP nowadays.