Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what's ahead.You Oughta Know ...
That the Red Sox and Yankees seem almost incapable of playing a game in under three hours and 30 minutes. Boston and New York met for the first time in the regular season Friday night, and, predictably, it was a long one. Four hours and 21 minutes after Jon Lester threw the first pitch, Kevin Youkilis launched a Damaso Marte offering over the Green Monster seats to give the Sox a 5-4 win over the Yanks in 11 innings.
That was after Jason Bay hit a two-out, two-run home run off of Mariano Rivera to knot the game at 4-all in the ninth inning, and long after Lester and New York starter Joba Chamberlain were worn down and driven from the game by two of the most patient lineups in baseball.
Since the start of 2007, the Red Sox and Yankees have played 37 times. Only six times have they finished a game in under three hours. That pales next to the 11 times they have played for more than three and a half hours. Friday night marked the third time over that span that a game has lasted longer than four hours, all of which is another way of saying that if you're planning on watching these two teams play Saturday afternoon, you might still be watching them Saturday night.
From the Trainer's Room ...
Some good news for once. Tigers relief pitcher Joel Zumaya has declared himself healthy and could pitch for Detroit as early as Saturday night.
"My arm feels 100 percent," Zumaya said. "Actually, I can say that with honesty this time. Being a baseball player and being part of something you want -- and want to be here -- sometimes you've got to lie.Zumaya last pitched Aug. 12, 2008 and has battled an assortment of arm and hand injuries over the last few seasons.
"Sometimes you don't feel good. You feel about 50 percent, 80 percent and you can still pitch. At the same time, you're telling yourself you're not ready. I feel 100 percent. I'm ready to go out there and chuck it.
Numbers Game ...
Zack Greinke's scoreless innings streak ended at 38 (or 24, if you only count the 2009 season) Friday night, but Kansas City's emerging ace still hasn't allowed an earned run in 2009. Amazingly, Greinke's streak of 29 innings without allowing an earned run is the second longest by a starting pitcher to start a season since 1954, according to baseball-refence.com. Greinke is only the second pitcher since 1954 to not allow an earned run in his four starts of the season. The other pitcher? Fernando Valenzuela, who didn't surrender an earned run in his first four starts (33 innings) in 1985.
In Their Own Words ...
"The one thing the strikeouts do, is we don't have to catch it." -- Mets manager Jerry Manuel after Johan Santana's 10-strikeout, six-inning performance helped New York snap a four-game losing streak. The Mets entered Friday night's action 11th in the National League in fielding percentage.
Advance Scouting ...
How about an encore? Randy Johnson makes his second straight -- and second career -- start against his former team, the Diamondbacks (8:10 PM ET). Last time around the Big Unit carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning to pick up his 296th career victory. He'll face Arizona's Max Scherzer as he looks for No. 297.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Yankees need to spend more $$$$$$ on those losers. Take the fork out.
And how is that CC thing working out? The guy only beat one team with a winning record last year, and the Yanks think he's an Ace. Pettit is the only pitcher they can count on, and they almost let him go. New stadium, same mistakes....