I think Lester did indeed outduel Tanaka, who threw a gem himself. Had Stephen Drew not misplayed a ball that led to a Yankee run that scored on a fielder's choice, the Yankees don't score at all.

Lester overcame early control problems, and dropped in as many nasty pitches as Tanaka. Granted, neither lineup was even close to a Jaywalkers' Row, but both pitchers pitched very nicely indeed, each evading a few perilous moments.

He foolishly threw a fastball to Napoli that he was trying to sneak over the outside corner. Napoli was looking for it (Tanaka had been doing that all night to him) and and he smacked it. From the look on Tanaka's face as he watched the line drive shoot into the right field seats that are seemingly about twenty feet further back than they are in Williamsburg, PA, he never expected Napoli to do more than wave at the pitch.

Very foolish to give Napoli anything remotely close to the plate, as he was followed inexplicably in the lineup by the aforementioned Drew, whose batting average is plunging to the level of a high fever.

I forgot it was on tv and had the ESPN gamecast on my computer when I got home from work, and only caught the bottom of the ninth on tv, so I was going by the analysts going on and on about Tanaka's p[itch selection when McCann came up in the ninth to gauge what happened in the Nap at bat. 

Prince Hal-what do you make of the Mookie Betts call up and Rubby demotion? Personally I think it's too soon for Betts-he tore up the lower levels and had a hot streak at Pawtucket, but I like to see how a guy deals with both success and failure at the AAA level before getting to the show, to make sure they can handle adversity and not lose confidence. JBJ is having a hard time right now as is Xander, but both seem to be able to deal with that and still contribute in other ways, but not sure Betts is experienced enough at the outfield position to contribute if he struggles at the plate yet. 

I don't like the Rubby decision, but I get keeping Peavy. At worst, you want to give him a shot to turn things around so he has trade value at the deadline, and taking him out of the rotation would remove that opportunity. I'd have found a way to keep De La Rosa in the mix somehow though. Maybe even altering the rotation so Clay gets extra rest between starts to keep wear and tear down.  But I don't get to see the team up close or get the local media perspective, just good ole Gordon Edes and his Eeyor like gaze on ESPN Boston. 

-M

Fun fact about Holland: Did you know that carrots are orange because the Dutch bred them that way? In many parts of the world, carrots are purple or white.

I kinda like Netherlands, but I have to admit I was pulling for Mexico. They may be our number one rivals, but darn it, they're our rivals. It's no fun if someone else beats them. Plus, anything good from CONCACAF reflects well on the U.S. team. I was really hoping it would be Mexico-Costa Rica in the next round to guarantee a CONCACAF team would get to the final 4.

Due to a parade, the Cubs have their first scheduled Sunday day off since 1932 today.

No Cubs, no Wimbledon since it's the middle Sunday, so it's PGA Tour or bust this afternoon.

The US knows Belgium is not a walkover...they have their work cut out for them but have my support. The USA is in our CONCACAF zone...and since the Brits have gone home I'm cheering them on.