Madson for the eighth and this is the third straight game he's worked

Philly Fan gave A-Rod a quick "You Took Steroids" chant, and he responded by looking uncomfortable on an inside curveball before flying out to center. > A small point from the fourth: Since Feliz took second on the overthrow and the Yankees walked Ruiz to face Blanton, they started the fifth with Rollins, not Blanton. On average, that means up to a third of a run of difference on average, and Rollins made the numbers look good with a leadoff single.Seven base runners now in four innings, and 70 pitches; some hope with that, especially with some squeezes from the home plate umpire. Victorino waited out a five-pitch walk to bring up Utley, who looked terrible on a four-pitch pop up to short, and Howard looked no better on a two-pitch pop up of his own. Fah.Werth needed to pick up the others, but Sabathia was tougher, and the rally died So much for the value of starting with the leadoff man. > Blanton worked a mostly calm sixth, getting the third out on a nifty flip from Howard off a shattered bat ground out.

He's worked six innings with seven base runners and seven strikeouts, and there's only been one extra base hit, but he's pitched in a little bit of bad luck, all things considered. Four earned runs in six innings against this lineup really isn't that bad It's just not enough, at least so far Park for the seventh. > Melky Cabrera auto-ejected on a pulled hamstring for Brett Gardner, which probably won't make that big of a difference. Ben Francisco hit for Blanton and flied out to center on his first pitch, and irritatingly, that's a real fast inning for Sabathia Pitch counts, people Pitch counts. > Park works the closest we can seemingly get with this offense to a clean inning, which is to say one base runner and no runs.

> Madson for the eighth, and this is the third straight game he's worked. You'd think the Yankees would be losing with numbers like that, really.Cano reached on a bloop pop up to left, and does this offense really need luck along with everything else Madson freezes Swisher for a calledstrikeout, then gets Gardner on a pop up, and we're into the bottom of the eighth aka, The Last Inning That Isn't Absolutely Rivera No time like the present, gentlemen > Chamberlain in for the Yanks to face Werth. You'd think Joba could afford a clean hat, but 96 mph gas up and in made that hat look good. Who's the a-hole that called Feliz an auto out > Brad Lidge in for the ninth, and he hasn't worked in 10 days, while still remaining Brad Lidge. To say I'm a little nervous as he came in would be understating the point, but what the hey, bygones, right A four-pitch out got Matsui on a pop up to short. He got ahead of the first two men with good sliders, then threw a fastball past Jeter to get ahead in the count Big Nerves Time.

Damon made Lidge throw nine pitches before singling to right, and ye gads, there's some law about the Yankees ever giving you an easy inning. Then, not shockingly, Damon steals second, since Lidge is terrible holding runners on...and much worse, just takes third since the shift meant no one was covering third GAHHHH. Lidge then continued the torment by hitting Teixeira on a 1-1 count, putting runners on the corners for Rodriguez. Series in the balance here, along with, well, A-Rod's career rep No pressure. Strike one at the knees, second pitch is crushed to the wall in left Yup, that bad feeling about Brad Lidge paid off Won't miss him as closer next year. Just a straight line fastball, and short of a Rivera wipeout, the Yankees have clinched the Series tonight.