The Feed

Landis Tests Positive

Tour de France champion Floyd Landis may be in some scalding water today as news has broken that he tested positive for "an unusual level of testosterone/epitestosterone" in a test toward the end of the race last week. He has been suspended by his racing team, Phonak, and all interested parties are awaiting the results of Landis's "B" test which has the unique ability to confirm or,uh, disconfirm Landis's guilt.

Landis has some major problems with his hip, he needs surgery to help repair a degenerative condition. Competing with that injury surely raises a red flag or two in the doping infested world of cycling and even Landis's mother issued something short of an unequivocal defense of her boy. She said that she understood if he was taking something for the pain but "if it's something worse than that, then he doesn't deserve to win." And she don't want no I-tai food, neither.

And A Cheer Rose Up From Arthur Avenue...

In case you missed it, the Yankees have themselves a new backup catcher. Salvatore Frank Fasano made his Yankee debut behind the dish last night. Fasano became available when the Astoria blackout forced Con Edison to designate him for assignment. A look at Fasano's Wikipedia page, and don't you love a world that has an encyclopedia-type page devoted to Sal Fasano's career accomplishments, the journeyman backup catcher is "known for his Fu Manchu moustache and his ability to help mentor young pitchers."

It's Jake Peavy Day!

Mobile, Alabama was the birthplace of the parade with floats in 1868 and they may be planning another celebration after native son Jake Peavy's day on Wednesday. The Padre starter did his usual duty on the mound with great effectiveness - two runs in seven innings - and added a home run, double and four RBI to pretty much beat the Dodgers all by himself at Chavez Ravine. The 10-3 romp puts the Padres two and half games in front of the Diamondbacks who gave up early homers to Chase Utley and David Dellucci en route to a 6-4 loss in Philly. It was Peavy's second homer of the year and just his fifth win as the Padres division-leading status has been in spite of their ace's performance this year.

• Are the Nationals dead? It looked like it five games ago but the Nats haven't lost since and perhaps the new ownership and the aggressive trade for Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez have raised spirits in the nation's capital. Kearns, the new rightfielder, drove in a game-winning run on a sacrifice fly last night as the speculative Nationals moved to within eight games of the Wild Card spot with a 4-3 victory. Ryan Zimmerman preceeded Kearns with an RBI single to tie the game, each man also drove in a run in the third and while the Nats probably don't have the horses for the course, the win streak may keep Alfonso Soriano in town and it's not like the '61 Yankees are in front of them, so Kearns, Zimmerman and crew could keep things interesting.

No One Can Cool Off The Twins

Even Brandon Walsh would take a break from serving the fine patrons of the Peach Pit to notice how well his hometown team is playing these days. The incandescent Twins polished off the White Sox 7-4 yesterday in Chicago for a sweep and a tie with the thought to be uncatchable White Sox. Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer each hit two-run homers and the underrated Twin bullpen tossed four strong innings culminating in Joe Nathan's 21st save of the year. The White Sox are stumbling like a drunk on Rush Street, losers in eight of ten and trying to hang in the Wild Card race when a week ago they were fighting for the division lead.

• The Tigers may just be the biggest beneficiary of the Twins sweep. They are now eight and a half games in front in the Central after yesterday's 4-1 victory in Cleveland. Justin Verlander continued his remarkable rookie season, striking out eight tribesmen in six and two-thirds innings with his only blemish a solo home run by Joe Inglett of the Indians. Verlander's 13 wins would seem to give him the inside track on Rookie of the Year but this isn't any year for rookies and the fact that a hard-running third may be all he can obtain shouldn't obscure how good Verlander's been and how bright his future is in the game of baseball. Cleveland, firmly into back up the truck territory, dealt first baseman Ben Broussard to Seattle yesterday for minor league outfielder Shin-Soo Choo.
• The A's and Angels stayed all square at the helm of the AL West as both teams beat up on AL East opposition. Dan Haren threw seven strong innings and Frank Thomas took Kyle Snyder deep twice as Oakland raced by the Red Sox 5-1. The Big Hurt has been exactly what Oakland needed when they signed him to a no-frills one-year deal, a consistent power source in a lineup that usually needs one. Across the country the Angels were slaughtering Tampa Bay 15-6 although not all the news was good in Halo country. Bartolo Colon was lifted after a four-run first inning with a sore right elbow and was the touch of grey on a day when Juan Rivera shone offensively. Rivera drove in four runs to cap off a July that saw him play the role of hottest thing this side of a windowless room.

Valentin's Day

If you enjoy a pitching duel, yesterday's matinee between the Cubs and Mets is a game you would have loved. Nothing but zeroes on the scoreboard for nine and a half innings, a serious bid for a no-hitter and a walk-off win made for another Amazin win in a summer full of them.

And what a summer it's been for Jose Valentin. Originally slated for a backup role to the pathetic likes of Kaz Matsui, Valentin was elevated to starting status in May and hasn't looked back for a moment. His latest highlight was a 10th inning, two-out, bases loaded single that won a game 1-0 for the Mets on an afternoon where it seemed like they might not even get a hit.

Mark Prior had a no-hitter with two outs in the sixth inning when Dusty Baker made another move to endear himself to the Cub faithful. He pulled Prior from the game for Will Ohman and the no-hitter evaporated the next inning, on a misplayed pop-up no less. Sure, Prior had 103 pitches and had walked five batters and is an injury waiting to happen. But what an odd time for Dusty to start worrying about the health of his hurlers. If there's any way to stem some of the ill feelings generated by year 98 of the Cub drought it would be a no-hitter against the best team in the National League.

But in Baker's defense, even a no-hitter might not have been enough. John Maine, doing everything he can to stay in the Met rotation, threw seven shutout innings and whiffed seven to keep the Mets even in spite of their offensive flameout. Duaner Sanchez, Billy Wagner and Aaron Heilman kept the Cubs off the scoreboard until Valentin finally came through in the gloaming. He was surrounded by his teammates who celebrated Valentin's hit and the team's victory by peppering the second baseman with kicks and punches and carried him off the field, not in the traditional on the shoulders style familiar to sports fans but like a pig to the spit. It's hard to imagine the veteran minded, after all, he's a contender now.

Wild Win For The Wild Card

The Yankees went down to Texas, looking for a lead to steal. They were in a bind cause they were still behind and might have to make a deal.

With apologies to Charlie Daniels, the devil won this time, thanks to Jason Giambi and Shawn Chacon. Giambi hit a mammoth two-run blast off Ranger closer Akinori Otsuka in the top of the ninth to put the Yankees in front and set up Mariano Rivera's 25th save for an 8-7 win which, coupled with the Twins completion of their sweep in Chicago, vaulted them into the Wild Card driver's seat ahead of the White Sox. He would never have had the chance if not for some terrific work by Shawn Chacon in the bottom of the eighth. The Rangers had jumped all over T.J. Beam and the criminally overworked Scott Proctor for three runs in the inning and still had the bases loaded with no one out when the former starter ambled in from the bullpen.

Chacon fanned Mark DeRosa for the first out but still had to face designated hitter Brad Wilkerson with the bags juiced. It looked like trouble when Wilkerson lasered a Chacon pitch right back up the box but the pitcher deftly snagged the liner and then doubled Jerry Hairston off of first to escape with the Yankees still very much alive for the ninth. Derek Jeter led off with a single and Giambi deposited Otsuka's pitch into the cheap seats shortly thereafter. As if sweeping the Rangers and taking over the Wild Card lead weren't enough, Oakland's win over Boston closed the East gap to just a game and a half.

Reds Outglare Rocket

Aaron Harang was six when Roger Clemens started winning games in the big leagues but age didn't matter when the two hooked up in Houston Tuesday night. What did matter was that the Astro bats once again took the night off with the Rocket on the hill as Harang tossed eight shutout innings to help the Reds win a pitching duel 2-0. Scott Hatteberg singled in Adam Dunn in the first inning and Harang helped himself with a RBI sacrifice bunt in the seventh to account for the Cincinnati scoring. Clemens struck out four and walked two, scattering seven hits across his seven innings but the Astros could muster only a fruitless ninth inning rally offensively to support him.

• There was a shutout for the second straight night at Coors Field and for the second straight night a Rockie pitcher went the distance with a sterling effort. Alas, Jason Jennings was hung with a tough "L" as the Cards eked out an 1-0 win behind Albert Pujols's sixth inning home run and Chris Carpenter's right arm. Scott Rolen pitched in with his Gold Glove at third as the Rockies outhit the Cardinals 8-4 but Pujols got the only one that mattered.
• How The West Was Won, Day 114: The Padres beat the Dodgers again as L.A. gets a bit more comfortable in the basement, while the Diamondbacks keep pace, a game back, with an eleventh hour 6-5 win in Philadelphia. Mike Cameron hit a two-run homer and Adrian Gonzalez drove in three runs to take a 7-3 decision in Dodger Stadium. Chan Ho Park won for the Friars while Mark Hendrickson fell to 0-4 since coming over from Tampa; the Dodgers made another deal for pitching Tuesday, acquiring Elmer Dessens from Kansas City for disgruntled Odalis Perez and two minor leaguers. Meanwhile, in the City of Brotherly Love, Carlos Quentin continued delivering on his immense prospect status. Quentin homered off of Ryan Franklin in the 11th inning to bail out Jorge Julio who blew a save back in the ninth for the visitors. Chase Utley damaged a Julio offering to tie the score at 5. It was Utley's second jack of the game but his three RBI weren't enough to overcome a wild, wild night from Phillie pitchers. Ryan Madson lasted just four innings after walking five and tying a major league record with four wild pitches in one inning. His relief corps walked six more batters over the course of the evening and Tom Gordon joined Julio in the blown save category. 

Minnesota's Phat

What's that sound we hear ask the White Sox fans? That low rumbling, the sonic signature of something coming up right behind us, what is that? It's Johan Santana and the Minnesota Twins, who are just a solitary game behind the defending world champions after Tuesday's 4-3 nailbiter at US Cellular Field. Santana threw seven innings, striking out six and scattering seven hits to improve his record to 12-5 while shortstop Jason Bartlett found the right time for his first longball of the year. Bartlett connected for a three-run blast off Jose Contreras in the seventh inning to lift the Twins to their 33rd win in 41 games. Joe Nathan closed things out, overcoming a hit and a walk, to earn his 20th save and another monster Twin win. The Sox, meanwhile, have lost 11 of 14 and find themselves in serious danger of slipping out of a seat in playoff musical chairs.

• Manny Delcarmen, clinging to a one-run lead with two on and no one out in the seventh, retired the meat of the Oakland order and his teammates exploded late and Boston sweated out a 13-5 victory. Delcarmen got Milton Bradley to pop out harmlessly and then whiffed Thomas and Swisher and protected Curt Schilling's lead and 13th win as the Red Sox kept their lead at two and a half in the AL East. The Boston attack was led by a trio with three RBI - Manny Ramirez, Trot Nixon and Jason Varitek each pulled the hat trick - and a six-run eighth finally put a game out of reach that was closer than the final score would indicate.
• Roy Halladay struck out six in seven innings and cruised to his 13th win as the Blue Jays blew out the Mariners 12-3 at Safeco Field. The Jays broke the game wide open with a four-run rally in the fourth inning, opening a 7-0 lead and giving their ace an easy night as the Mariners failed to make any ground on the West-leading A's.

The Clubberin Cubbies

For the second straight night the Mets couldn't keep Cubs batters in the ball park and so it is now three straight losses for the frontrunning Amazins who could really use a nice, easy win to remind them how they built their massive divisional lead. Tom Glavine duplicated Steve Trachsel's miserable start last night, getting raked for back-to-back first inning homers from Aramis Ramirez and Phil Nevin and then delivering a third gopher ball to the opposing starter Carlos Zambrano. It was the portly pitcher's fourth blast of the season on a night that saw him notch his 11th win despite some rough early going himself.

Carlos Beltran cut the 2-0 first inning deficit in half with a long home run and Endy Chavez added a three-run blast in the bottom of the second to put the Mets up 4-2 after two. Chavez has been a godsend to the Met bench and he took what was likely his first curtain call at the behest of an appreciative Shea crowd. Glavine lost the lead in the top of the third however. Juan Pierre walked to start the inning, Todd Walker singled and Ramirez plated Pierre with a sacrifice fly. Glavine then made a throwing error on Nevin and walked Matt Murton to load the bases. After a forceout at the plate, backup Cub catcher Henry Blanco drove a two-out pitch into the left-center gap to clear the bases and put the Cubs up for good 6-4. Zambrano's homer chased Glavine from the game in the seventh and despite a late rally the Mets fell 8-6 when Paul LoDuca popped out with the bases loaded in the ninth.

Guts And Guiel

The soap opera that is the Yankees added a new recurring character a couple of weeks ago. Let go by Kansas City, Aaron Guiel was probably happy just to have a job when the Yankees offered him a chance to go to AAA Columbus. That he was quickly moved to the big club to help try and cover for the absent Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield was icing on the cake. That he's now hit huge home runs in each of the last two wins over Texas is the stuff of storybooks and nursery rhymes.

Guiel's fifth inning three-run home run provided the margin of victory in the Yanks 7-4 win in Arlington Tuesday night. It was easily the biggest of the puny four hits the Yankees were able to scratch out, though the mediocre Texas staff helped them out by walking six and hitting two batters. The other key Yankee hit was from the bat of another fill-in, Miguel Cairo. With the bases loaded in the fourth Cairo reached on an infield single that saw two runners come around to score.

Mike Mussina has pitched better this season than he did last night but deserved his 12th victory nonetheless. Six innings, five hits, three runs and four strikeouts was the Moose's line as he outdueled the terrible Adam Eaton. Eaton didn't make it out of the fourth, despite giving up just one hit to go with his four walks and two hit batsmen. It was the lefty reliever Ron Mahay who gave up Guiel's blast, another failure in a lefty-lefty matchup in a game that the Rangers would have won with a more competent staff.