Top News:
Sam Borden / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
World Series Game 2: Phillies at Yankees — YANKEES — Pitching: RHP A.J. Burnett (0-0, 4.42 ERA in postseason) — PHILLIES — Pitching: RHP Pedro Martinez (0-0, 0.00 ERA in postseason) — WEATHER: Looking good. Maybe some clouds and there will be a chill in the air, but it's dry and (hopefully) not too windy.
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Peter Abraham / Boston Globe:
Interesting decisions for Girardi — By now, presumably, Yankees manager Joe Girardi has made out a lineup for Game 2 of the World Series and he'll reveal it within an hour or so. — He had some tough decisions to make. — Right fielder Nick Swisher is 4 for 35 (.114) in the postseason with one RBI.
Associated Press:
Yankees bench Swisher … NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees manager Joe Girardi benched slumping outfielder Nick Swisher for Game 2 of the World Series on Thursday night and again put Jose Molina behind the plate to catch A.J. Burnett. — Philadelphia also had a different lineup.
Bowman's Blog:
Now it's Braves fans who are jealous of Philly fans — After Cliff Lee produced his dominant performance against the Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday night, I asked Phillies backup catcher Paul Bako if the pinpoint control that Lee has displayed during his past two outings merited a comparison to Greg Maddux.
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Sam Borden / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Yankees helpless vs. Lee, fall in Series opener
Yankees helpless vs. Lee, fall in Series opener
Discussion:
The iYankees Blog
Jorge Arangure Jr / MLB:
MLB playoffs: Philadelphia Phillies' Pedro Martinez returns to New York the enemy once again — Phils' Game 2 starter knows all about pitching under the bright lights against Yankees … NEW YORK — Yankee Stadium — the old, crumbling version with all the history, not the new monument …
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Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Commissioner's Office Says Rodriguez To Red Sox, Not Royals — 3:04pm: WEEI's Alex Speier writes, “According to a major-league source, the MLB Commissioner's Office has ruled that the Red Sox still possess the rights to Reynaldo Rodriguez, a first baseman whom they acquired from the Yuma Scorpions …
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Jeff Zrebiec / Baltimore Sun:
Orioles decline Mora's 2010 option — Expected move likely ends veteran third baseman's tenure with club — The Orioles announced today that they won't exercise third baseman Melvin Mora's $8 million contract option for the 2010 season, an expected move that likely ends the tenure …
Discussion:
Fox Sports, MASNsports.com, MLB Rumors, Yahoo! Sports, The Schmuck Stops Here, MLB Daily Dish and MLB FanHouse
Jim Callis / Baseball America:
Dodgers Draft Report Card — POSITION PLAYERS — BEST PURE HITTER: C J.T. Wise (5) or OF Brian Cavazos-Galvez (12). Wise hit .338/.401/.566 at Rookie-level Ogden, while Cavazos-Galvez batted .322/.353/.618 there. >> BEST POWER HITTER: OF Blake Smith (2) needs to cut down on his strikeouts …
Thomas Boswell / Washington Post:
Ask Boswell: World Series, Redskins, Nats, Caps and More — Washington Post sports columnist Thomas Boswell will be online Thursday, October 29, at 11:00 a.m. ET to take your questions about the MLB playoffs, the Redskins, the Nats, the NFL, the Caps and the latest sports news and his recent columns.
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Marc Hulet / FanGraphs Baseball:
Breaking Down Burnett — A.J. Burnett, the veteran starter with the New York Yankees, has made three post-season starts in 2009. The right-hander has gone from quite good to OK to pretty bad in his three starts, which makes a person wonder just what to expect in Game Two of the World Series.
Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Hale now on third for Mets — Chip Hale is expected to be named the Mets' new third base coach after the World Series. Hale, 44, spent the past three seasons in that role with the Diamondbacks after six years in that organization as a minor-league manager.
Angela Brandt / Helena Independent Record:
Bat maker found liable for player's death — After 12 hours of deliberation, a jury sided with the parents of former Miles City American Legion baseball pitcher Brandon Patch in a civil suit over the player's death during a 2003 game in Helena. — Aluminum bat maker Hillerich & Bradsby Co. failed …
Kelly Thesier / MLB.com:
Inbox: How did Morneau's surgery go? — Beat reporter Kelly Thesier answers Twins fans' questions … How is Justin Morneau doing? I read this week that he had surgery on his wrist. I was wondering how his wrist is doing and also how his back was feeling? — Jim N., White Bear Lake, Minn.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Joefrisaro / The Fish Pond:
Market for Hermida — Speculation continues to run high that the Marlins will trade outfielder Jeremy Hermida this offseason. — The 25-year-old former first-round pick in 2002, came off a rough season, batting .259 with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs. A strained right oblique on Sept. 2 …
David O'Brien / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Hudson and Braves close to deal — Pitcher Tim Hudson is expected to sign a three-year contract extension with the Braves by early next week, a person familiar with negotiations said. — The Braves and Hudson's representative have made rapid progress in negotiations on a deal, which could be completed as early as Friday.
Discussion:
ESPN, Jorge Says No!, Respect Jeter's Gangster, Circling The Bases, MetsBlog.com, Bowman's Blog and MLB Rumors
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Brian Costa / New Jersey Online:
Yankee Stadium will open for public viewing of Game 4 broadcast … NEW YORK — The Yankees will open Yankee Stadium for a public viewing of the broadcast of Game 4 of the World Series, which will be played Sunday at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park. The Yankees did the same thing for Game 3 of the ALCS in Anaheim.