I'm Ian. I'm a Mets fan.

Hello, Red Sox and Yankees fans!

I would like to thank Dave and Aviv for inviting me to guest blog when their beloved teams play my wonderful, heart-wrenching Mets. The title of this entry is an homage to a friend of mine from Norwalk, Clayton Burroughs. I miss his Jose Reyes hugs.

A little about me. I've been a Mets fan for nearly 30 years. My first memory of a Met game was watching Tom Seaver's Cincinnati Reds win at Shea, and as my father, grandfather and I walked down the ramps leading out of the Stadium, a chorus of "Joe Torre Sucks!" chants echoed for minutes on end. Needless to say, I was hooked years before the ball trickled through Buckner's legs. I worked with Aviv at the Connecticut Post eons ago. Nearly a decade later, I work for a NY tabloid, and my views do not necessarily represent those of my employer.

I'll get straight to the point about this weekend's series at Fenway. I'm not optimistic concerning the Mets' chances of winning one game. I think they have as much of a chance to win Sunday's Tim Redding-Tim Wakefield matchup as they do tonight's Johan Santana-Daisuke Matsuzaka worldly tussle.

First off, the Mets are 3-6 in regular season games at Fenway, including a Boston sweep three years ago. No, the ghosts of Lenny Dykstra and Gary Carter from 1986 won't be much help here.
Next, Johan Santana historically does not pitch well at Fenway: He's 1-3 with a 6.89 ERA in four starts. Although for a pitcher that allows plenty of home runs, he's relinquished only one career Fenway bomb. Still, I don't like the idea of him facing gritty right-handed hitters like Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jason Bay and even Mike Lowell. This is as good a right-handed lineup as he'll see all season. Throw a suddenly heating up Big Papi, and it will be difficult. Santana very well could win the NL Cy Young Award this year, mainly because he's one of the two best starters in baseball and Citi Field invites him to be even more aggressive than he normally is. A healthy Santana should win a least two Cy Youngs pitching at Citi Field, the park where home runs go to die (It's amazing how the new Yankee Stadium embraces the long ball, but Citi Field shoos them away like flies). I expect he'll keep the Mets close, maybe a 4-3 loss. But, he's the Mets' biggest hope for a win this weekend.

Mike Pelfrey (facing Beckett) tends to keep the ball in the park, so that will help on Saturday. Sunday will be nearly a tossup if Redding can go at least six innings.

The big question is which sacrificial lineup will the Mets will put out each game. No Carlos Delgado. Jose Reyes day-to-day with tendinitis in his knee. All the Sox pitchers will need to do is pitch around Carlos Beltran and David Wright, and they should go fairly unscathed. Boston must be salivating about facing Ramon Martinez, Jeremy Reed, Angel Pagan, Ramon Castro, and to a lesser degree Luis Castillo, Daniel Murphy and Ryan Church, as many as 10 times this weekend. That list of future Hall of Famers must have Red Sox Nation trembling in anticipation. The wild card is Gary Sheffield, of course, but what he'll provide this weekend is a mystery. Plus, if you haven't noticed on SportsCenter, the Mets are fielding as well as the Amazin' Mets of the early '60s. A healthy lineup might have come into Fenway off a sweep of the Dodgers. Instead, they come in reeling, having lost four straight.

A gem from Santana could give the Mets one win, and there's a chance of stealing a game Saturday or Sunday. I won't be happy with just one win, but I'm realistic. If the Mets come away with two or more wins, that would make me angry if I were a Sox fan. Enjoy!

Just A Bruise

It could have been so much worse. Thank goodness it isn't.

Joba Chamberlain was hit with a drive on the right knee Thursday, tried to pitch through it, but ultimately had to leave the game.

But the way the Yankees are rolling, not even losing their starter two outs into the first is enough to derail them.

The Yankees scored four in the first, then Alfredo Aceves anchored a serviceable bullpen effort and New York won its ninth straight with a 7-4 victory over the Orioles at Yankees Stadium.

It is fortunate that the win did not come at a big price. X-rays on Joba were negative and he's listed as day-to-day. Joe Girardi said he hopes Chamberlain will be able to make his next start.

The night started well for Joba, striking out Brian Roberts, but Adam Jones followed with a shot back through the box that hit Joba square on the knee. Joba recovered to get Jones at first and tried to continue. But Nick Markakis and Aubrey Huff followed with singles, and after Joba limped to back up third, Girardi decided to make the change.

It was a scene reminiscent of April 28, 2007, against the Red Sox. Starter Jeff Karstens took a shot to the leg off the bat Julio Lugo. Karstens actually pitched to two more batters but couldn't continue. Turned out he had a broken leg as was lost for several months. (Note: That game was Kei Igawa's lone highlight with the Yanks, coming on to pitch six scoreless innings for the win).

So as Chamberlain limped off the mound, the cause for concern was legit ... not just for the outcome of the game, but for Joba's health.

On this night, luck was with the Yankees.

While the news about Joba was great, the news from the bullpen was pretty good, too, even with Phil Coke unavailable and the Yankees being cautious with Brian Bruney.

Alfredo Aceves continued to deliver in every situation the Yankees call upon him. He pitched 3-1/3 scoreless, picking up this third victory in this winning streak. If Joba can't go Tuesday at Texas, is there any reason not to have faith that Ace will step in and do more than a credible job?

Jonathan Albaladejo followed with 2-1/3 allowing four runs. He has options remaining, so don't be surprised if the Yankees send him down when Chien-Ming Wang, who will make another rehab start Friday for Scranton, comes back.

Surprisingly, Jose Veras pitched 1-2/3 inning without allowing a run before Mariano Rivera closed it out with his ninth save.

But what helped most was the early outburst by the offense, scoring four runs on four doubles in the first. Melky Cabrera had the big blow, driving in two with two outs.

Robinson Cano added a two-run shot in the second and Hideki Matsui a solo shot in the fifth and win No. 9 was within reach.

Now things get interesting with the Phillies coming to town. Is No. 10 on the horizon, or have the Yankees just been feeding on the weakest of the weak? We'll find out.

Runners In Scoring Position
Thursday
4-for-7 (.571)
Season
99-for-365 (.271)

Up Next
Friday vs. Phillies, 7:05 p.m., YES
Brett Myers (3-2, 4.50 ERA) vs. A.J. Burnett (2-1, 5.02)

Win No. 10 rests in Burnett's hands as the defending world champions visit the stadium. Burnett was terrific in his last out, but took a no-decision. The Phillies lead the NL East, but have not pitched particularly well. Entering Thursday, they had a 5.34 ERA, which ranked 27th in the league. This series has the potential to be a slugfest.

Oh Captain, My Captain!

While Aviv waxes poetic over the Yankees' amazing ability to beat the Orioles and Twins (talk about a low bar to cross...), I thought I'd spend my time rejoicing in Boston's dismantling of the AL East-leading Blue Jays last night. Behind another strong start by Brad Penny, the Boston bats came alive and the Sox crushed Toronto 8-3.

There are so many good stories here I don't know exactly where to begin. But as tempting as it is to start with Papi's first home run since Coke cost a nickel, I think the bigger story is the revitalization of Jason Varitek. 'Tek went 2-3 last night with two solo shots and threw in a walk for good measure. He's sporting an .842 OPS and his seven homers have him in the company of players like Jim Thome, Victor Martinez and Joe Mauer. 'Tek is also having a solid season behind the plate. He leads AL catchers in put-outs (230) and is second in fielding percentage (.996) trailing only Detroit's Gerald Laird. He also has yet to allow a passed ball. So, why this sudden resurgence?

I don't think enough attention has been paid to the fact that Jason Varitek went through a brutal divorce that just concluded in the past couple of days. Brutal enough that the records are sealed and that one of the requirements is that he and his ex-wife act "as if never married to each other." They have three kids.

Now, two of the most stressful things a person can go through is divorce and the illness of a child. I bring this up because I have some experience with the latter; my daughter was recently diagnosed with cancer. There are days when I can barely perform my job, which consists of using a keyboard and monitor. The stress and worry are inconceivable to someone who hasn't gone through a similar event. Now imagine having that kind of burden where your job involved catching and hitting a ball hurled somewhere between 80-100 MPH. A job where so much of what you do is mental, or is physical performance affected by mental conditioning. The miracle is that Varitek was able to play baseball at all last year. And I think I, and a lot of Boston fans, owe him an apology and a lot of slack for riding him last year. I sure didn't understand what he was going through then. I do now. So it was especially enjoyable for me to watch him launch a pair into the bleachers last night. If he keeps this up he could have his best season since 2005, when 'Tek had 22 homers and 70 RBI, and won the Gold Glove to boot.

But the story everyone else is talking about is Big Papi finally notching a home run on his 2009 belt. He added a double to his two-run shot and had a respectable 2-5 night. Whether this is the beginning of a new trend or a dead-cat bounce on a downward trajectory remains to be seen. I'm guessing his problems have been both physical and mental (something he alluded to in a recent story without elaboration). Papi depends on wrist speed and weight distribution to generate his power. Well, a bum wrist and bad knee play havoc with both of those. Papi needs to find a way to do both those things again, either the way he used to do it or a new way. As for the mental...I don't know if it is just the toll of a slump or something worse. I hope for his sake it's just the slump.

Also worthy of notice is Jacoby Ellsbury. Not only does he have a World Series ring and a stolen base title to his name, but now he has also tied the all-time record for putouts by an outfielder in a nine-inning game. Ellsbury's 12 putouts put him in the books alongside the Twins' Lyman Bostock (set in 1977) and a Boston brother from a different mother, Boston Braves' centerfielder Earl Clark who made his dozen in 1929. That's all Clark ever really did of note, so here's hoping Jacoby has a more prolific career. On a lesser note, he also extended his hit-streak to 15 games. The kid has definitely found his groove.

On the pitching side of things, Brad Penny continues to justify Theo's move to get him to Boston. Penny went 6 2/3 innings and gave up just two runs. Yes, that's another quality start for Penny, who now has five quality starts in eight games. He did give up a lot of hits (nine) but scattered them enough to limit the damage.

Then the bullpen stepped up and shut down the Jays...mostly. This isn't to pick on the rookie, but Daniel Bard seemed more than a little nervous. I'm guessing it's because this was his first time in a pro game at Fenway, which can be a little nerve-wracking even for a seasoned vet. But I have seen this kid pitch in Portland and I am telling you, he's the real deal. A couple of more times at Fenway and he'll settle right down. It was good for him to get work last night, even if it didn't go the way he wanted it to. The Delcarmen/Okajima combo did a great job, combining for 2/3 of no-hit ball. They just needed five pitches combined to get their respective batters. And then Saito gave up a couple of harmless singles in the ninth before ending it. Overall, a decent night's work.

I guess that worry I had about the Sox facing a new pitcher was largely unfounded. With five homers and 11 hits, Boston owned Brett Cecil last night. Hopefully that is the standard for them going forward against new pitchers. It's much more enjoyable than watching Boston get two-hit by a rookie, a scenario that is all too painfully familiar to myself and many Boston fans through the years.

So tonight it's Jon Lester and Robert Ray doing battle to see if Toronto can salvage some pride or if Boston can get the sweep.This is a big game for Lester; his last two outings have, frankly, sucked. If he can't find the control that powered him to that 16-6 record last year, it's going to be a long season for Lester. And the Sox.

BOOM BOOM BOOM=8 Straight

The Yankees offense can't get much hotter than it is right now.

Nick Swisher, Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera hit consecutive homers in the second inning, Phil Hughes allowed three runs in five innings while striking out a career-high nine, and the Yankees defeated the Orioles 11-4 at Yankee Stadium Wednesday for their eighth straight win.

During this streak, the Yankees have not only found their home-run stroke, they have become clutch.

The three homers Wednesday gave the Yankees 64 for the season, surpassing the Rangers for the most in the majors. Swisher's homer was his first this season at Yankee Stadium, where he has struggled, hitting .127 (7-for-55).

Just as importantly, the Yankees have been taking advantage when they get runners in scoring position, tacking on runs and keeping pressure on opposing pitchers. Their average with RISP is up to a nearly respectable .265.

The eighth inning was a prefect example of the Yankees' new-found relentlessness.

The Yankees had a 5-3 lead and Mariano Rivera had finished off the top half of the inning. A win was well within reach. The offense, however, put the game out of reach.

With one out, Alex Rodriguez walked, Hideki Matsui singled and Swisher walked to load the bases. Cano and Melky each followed with RBI singles before Kevin Cash lifted a sacrifice fly to center to make it 8-3.

Derek Jeter then ripped two-run double and scored on Johnny Damon's single before Mark Teixeira ended the inning with a topper back to the mound. Just like that, game over.

But the thing that has been overlooked during this winning streak has been the starting pitching.
Hughes was much better Wednesday than he had been recently. His fastball was hitting 94 and lively, and his breaking pitches were sharp. He was efficient in that 57 of 89 pitches for strikes and he walked just one. He might have been able to go one more inning, but after giving up homers in both the fourth and fifth, it was clear he was starting to tire and all the strikeouts were taking a toll.

Hughes actually looked like a major league pitcher again. Even after he surrendered the homers, he did not rattle and continued to attack hitters. He still has work to do -- he has allowed four homers in his last two starts -- but he has improved over the course of his last three starts and has given the Yankees the option of giving Chien-Ming Wang one more rehab start, if they so desire.

He's also given the Yankees an option once Wang returns. I would not rule out moving Hughes to the bullpen instead of sending him back to Scranton, especially if Jose Veras continues to struggle to throw strikes.

There was a time when pitchers had to prove themselves out of the bullpen when they were called up. Hughes doesn't have anything left to prove at Scranton. Maybe the best thing for him is to continue to learn in the majors as a long man and spot starter. This would also have the benefit of allowing the Yankees to make Alfredo Aceves (two more scoreless innings Wednesday) the sixth- and/or seventh-inning guy.

Still, Hughes' start was part of a larger trend for the Yankees. During this streak, the starters are 5-0 with a 3.21 ERA and 41 strikeouts. They've allowed 46 hits and 25 walks in 50-1/3 inning, averaging nearly 6-1/3 innings a start. Five of the eight starts qualified as quality starts.

The Yankees starters entered the night with a 5.13 ERA on the season, which ranks 22nd, up from 24th a short time ago. The recent stretch has also benefited the bullpen, which has been shaky, but improving, with a 5.37 ERA that has climbed to 25th.

Brian Bruney was impressive in his return Tuesday and he should be able to solidify this unit and, I hope, make it at least respectable.

Everything is clicking for the Yankees. Now they have to sustain it. Let's see if they stretch this win streak to nine.


Runners In Scoring Position
Wednesday
5-for-7 (.714)
Season
95-for-358 (.265)

Up Next
Thursday vs. Orioles, 7:05 p.m., YES
Adam Eaton (2-4, 7.93) vs. Joba Chamberlain (2-1, 3.76)

Joba Chamberlain seemed to have found a formula to get through the first inning in his last start. He needs to replicate that as he seek to continue his development as a legitimate major league starter. His ERA is strong. Now he just needs to pick up some W's.

The Yankees' offense should continue to roll against Eaton, for whom a good start is any in which he hold the opponents to fewer than five runs.