HERE ARE TODAYS STARTING LINEUPS:

RANGERS:                                       YANKEES:

MATTHEWS jr CF                             DAMON DH

YOUNG SS                                       JETER SS

TEIXEIRA 1B                                    GIAMBI 1B

NEVIN DH                                        A-ROD 3B

MENCH RF                                       CANO 2B

WILKERSON LF                               WILLIAMS CF

DeROSA 2B                                      CABRERA RF

JIMINEZ 3B                                       CROSBY LF

BARAJAS C                                     STINNETT C

So a well deserved day off for the undoubted, man of the series, Jorge Posada today as Kelly Stinnett takes over catching the roll.. Good to see Jason Giambi back on 1st.. Johnny Damon gets a half day off… Jaret Maybe, takes the mound

1.08 1st pitch a STRIKE, just the start every pitcher wants, and Matthews jr. goes down next pitch to a flyout to Bernie playing in center today.

1.11 Oh Melky, fantastic catch in right…2 away

1.12 ….and its an 11 pitch 1-2-3..

1.16 Damon just short and wide of 1st.. good hustle.

1.18 D.J. strikes out swinging.. Hmmmmm unlike Jeter.

1.19 Giambi goes down looking… Padilla looks in good form today

1.23 Nevin strikes out..ow!!! nice heat Jaret..

1.23 2 away, routine grounder to the Capt.

1.25 6 in a row for Wright.. Yes I just called him Wright, lets see if he can hold up..

1.27 OH MY GOD.. Kittykat and Singleton are talking about a perfect game for Wright.. SHUT UP you fools… Padilla has 5-5 with A-Rod and Cano flying out

1.30 Now it’s 6-6.. Pitching match-up is good.. Thats the only comment you will get out of me about "streaks"

1.32 Bottom of Rangers order due up

1.35 There goes the lot (the commentators curse strikes) 9th hitter Barajas, singles up the middle.. Thanks guys..

1.37 Mr. Yankee, Bernie Williams, makes a spectacular catch to deprive Gary Matthews jr. of a basehit… Heres the bottom of our order

1.40 Melky adds to the commentators curse by singling. Bubbas bunt was real close, very close at 1st

1.43 Stinnett pops to 2nd.. heeeeeeeers Johnny

1.46 …and its a called strike 3.. Damon down looking

1.51 A-Rod fumbles a drive and just comes up short.. Young credited with a hit.. Boy sure would have been a great recovery.. Teixera flies to Bubba.. and a 6-4-3 double play ends a 6 pitch inning for Wright…

1.53 Jeter Walks

1.59 Giambi flies to left

2.01 A-Rod grounded to Padilla and Jeter moves to 2nd.. 2 away

2.06 Cano grounded to 1st after a very long at-bat.. Still scoreless

2.09 Oh Bubba what a great effort.. can’t complain about the effort. Mench with a single

2.11 Wilkerson singles, men on 1st and 2nd

2.12 Nice play by A-rod to get Wilkerson at 2nd, fielders choice for DeRosa. 1st and 3rd 1 away.. at least the double play is still there

2.16 Jimenez pops to A-Rod in foul territory.. 2 away..

2.20 Barajas STRIKES OUT.. Jaret ‘houdini’ Wright leaves the stalemate intact

2.24 Bernie grounds to 2nd

2.25 Melky grounds to 1st

2.26 Bubba Crosby singles..but is injured.. oh no he’s gone out of the game, looks like a hamstring.. Kevin Reese pinch runs and will probably take over in left aswell.. This in all we need. 3 outfielders down. The Emperor will not be a happy camper at all.. Trades to be made by Saturday???

2.30 Stinnett strikes out.. Disastrous stuff.. We’ve no offence, although Padilla is pitching well…

2.33 3rd pitch… a fly ball to Reese.. please catch it.. He has.. 1 away

2.34 Now Melky has made spectacular play number 2… thank the lord for that. 2 away

2.35 Was bound to happen.. Kevin Reese dropps one, in fact never even got a glove on it and, the railroad express, Teixera, is on 2nd

2.38 Wright is throwing some hot,hot stuff 95mph, wow..

2.39 Bernie does it, side retired.. still scoreless, middle of 6th

2.42 Time for Johnny to start playing ball, Oh my god it’s just foul, top deck it ended up, now strikes out looking for the second time..

2.45 99mph by Padilla and gets Jeter to groundout next pitch

2.46 Giambi gets belted on the elbow, take 1st young man, heres A-Rod

2.49 Wild pitch by Padilla and Jason takes 2nd..

2.50 A-rod strikes out… to the 7th folks..

2.53 Kevin "shrek" Mench, bloops the 1st pitch to short left. He has the biggest head in all of baseball, Size 19!!!!!! wow.. My man, Scott Proctor is warming up in the pen. Mike Myres is up aswell

2.56 Holy cr*p… Wilkerson lifts one to right field upper deck.. 2-0 Rangers

2.58 Watch out, DeRosa gets belted, Wright is losing the plot..

3.00 Torre to the mound.. Scott Erickson, who had only gotten up, is summoned.

3.05 Thought that was gone aswell, foul thank god..

3.06 Jimenez walks, DeRosa to 2nd, still 0 out

3.07 Barajas sac bunts, runners move up, 1 away

3.10 Thats disgraceful. A high hopper to Cano, he throws home, but nowhere near Stinnett. Ball gets away and 2 more score, 1out, man on 2nd, 4-0 Rangers. Teixera is intentionally walked after Young flied to center.. Now its 2 on, 2 out, Nevin batting.. Thankfully he grounds the first pitch to Jeter who makes the force at 2nd. Disastrous Inning totally… Can The Bombers come back??? Time to stretch…

3.16 So, Robinson gets a single, still needs a bit more to make amends

3.17 Bernie flies to left.. 1 away Cano stays at 1st base

3.18 Melky walks, 1st and 2nd..1 away

3.19 UPDATE ON BUBBA: Strained hamstring

3.21 Reese grounds to 1st, men on 2nd and 3rd, 2 away……..and here’s Jorge to pinch hit for Stinnett…

3.23 0-1, 1-1, 1-2, DEY Oh…… a little scratch of the nuts by Jorge, 2-2, The tin pan is getting walloped, a lot of gamesmanship by Padilla, FULL COUNT, now some acting up by Posada, High inside ball 4.. Jorge walks.. Here’s Buck Padilla is out of here..The bases are loaded..

3.30 Francisco Cordera to pitch,

3.31 A BASE HIT BY DAMON…. CANO AND MELKY SCORE.. IT’S JETER NEXT

3.32 Men on 1st and 2nd, 2 away, 4-2 Rangers.. The stadium is alive..

3.33 Great googely moogely, 0-2 and Jeter foultips into Barajas glove…Inning over. We got 2 back, now to shore up the Rangers in the 8th

3.40 With 2 away quickly, Erickson walks DeRosa,

3.41 Ron Villone starts to warm up in the pen..

3.42 Erickson gets Jimenez to ground out to 2nd, on a 3-1 pitch, to end the inning. Bottom of 8th coming up, with the Yankee big bats due up..

3.45 Jason Giambi leads off with a walk. A-Rod due up next..

3.46 Alex takes the 1st for a strike, takes the 2nd for a strike, fouls the 3rd off, Low outside ball 1, Fouls the next down the rightfield line, still 1-2, high ball 2, low ball 3… FULL COUNT… but skies one to straight away certer, 1 away

3.51 Time for Cano to make more amends, and grabs another base hit through 2nd. Men on 1st and 2nd, 1 away.. Bernie to the plate

3.53 Gary Matthews jr. makes a great play in shallow center, 2 away. Melky Cabrera, who’s having a good day is next.

3.55 Not this time tho….. to the 9th we go… oh lord..

3.58 Erickson stays in for the 9th and Rod Barajas knocks one over the centerfield wall for a round-tripper.. 5-2 Rangers..

4.03 Having walked Matthews jr, Joe Torre had seen enough, and called for Villone.

4.08 Starts with a combination of pitchouts and throws to firsts to contain Matthews, but only suceeded in walking Young. The ever dangerous Teixera up to bat.. 2 on, 0 out.

4.11 Villone walks the Tex to load the bases, still 0 out and Nevin to the plate.

4.13 Nevin grounds to Jeter, who threw home to force Matthews, bases still loaded, 1 away, "shrek" batting

4.16 Mench grounded to A-Rod, Nevin forced at 2nd, but Cano couldn’t turn 2, so Young scored, 6-2, 2 away, men on 1st and 3rd..

4.18 A 4 pitch walk to Wilkerson and the bases are jammed up again, 2 out for DeRosa..

4.19 DeRosa flies to center.. Nearly a 3 way collision between Bernie, Melky and Robinson… wouldn’t have surprised me, but the top of the 9th is in the books. 2 runs, and 3 stranded.. Is there a very late show in the Bombers….

4.21 Reese, Posada and Damon due up to face the Rangers closer Otsuka.

4.23 Reese strikes out

4.26 Posada strikes out. Yankees down to their last out

4.29 Damon strikes out aswell, and the Yankees lose a tough one

It was an early, excellent pitching performance by both starters. The difference was Padilla got deeper into the game, some sloppy yankee field work and a bullpen that was ineffective today.. Yankees had no ofence against very good Rangers pitching, but to be critical, you need to generate offence in the face of dominant pitching, somehow… Anyway a split of the series is a fair outcome. To Shea Stadium on the 7 train we go for a weekend of interleague play..

Hope you liked my attempt at a live blog.. It was fun doing it, even if the result didn’t go my way….

New York Yankees Postgame Alert

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May 18, 2006

Texas 6, N.Y. Yankees 2 at Yankee Stadium
Texas Record: (21-19)
N.Y. Yankees Record: (23-16)

Winning pitcher – Vicente Padilla (4-3)
Losing pitcher – Jaret Wright (1-3)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Texas	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	2		6	7	0
N.Y. Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0		2	5	2

TEX HR – R. Barajas (3) B. Wilkerson (7)
NYY HR – None