It's hard to find a more appropriate cliche than baseball being a 'game of inches.'
One of the worst aspects of following sports is having to deal with the frustration that sometimes accompanies the exploits of one's favorite team. There are always difficult losses throughout a season: for me, today was a case in point. The Yankees, despite an astonishing number of chances to add to a 3-0 lead, failed to do so, and announcers disputed whether Tino Martinez was indeed out at home on a close play in the 3rd inning. After a hiccup in an otherwise strong start by Randy Johnson and a 9th inning home run off of Mariano Rivera (which may have been interfered with by a fan), first baseman Eduardo Perez had willed the Devil Rays into a tie ballgame with a total of 2 long balls. To add insult to injury, Yankee reliever Scott Proctor walked in the winning run after an intentional walk to Aubrey Huff. The Yankees had won five straight, but that was little consolation on such a night. It makes one wonder how a player can shut it all out and return the next day ready for action.

The Angels’ season continues to be a roller-coaster.

I couldn’t help but notice a recent trend: the Angels have played several extra-inning games against the Toronto Blue Jays in the last month. After winning in 10 innings at Toronto’s Rogers Centre a few weeks ago, they came out the next day and lost in 18. Sure enough, last night’s contest in Anaheim also required extra frames, with the California squad taking the game on an 11^th-inning run-scoring single by Darin Erstad.

Aside from length, the Halos have also played some extremely intense games, both to their benefit and detriment. I still have nightmares about Vladimir Guerrero’s 7th-inning grand slam on July 21, yet another time the team has been saved by his heroics. At the same time, they have lost games in dramatic fashion, including two in the Bronx the next week. In one, closer Francisco Rodriguez walked four Yankees in a stunning comeback. The next day, an Orlando Cabrera error with two outs in the 9^th inning allowed the Yankees to complete yet another four-run comeback.

Tonight, Rodriguez walked in the tying run against Toronto, then later allowed the go-ahead sacrifice fly. Because fans of the American League West leader are used to ‘K-Rod’ being so dominant, losses that come at his expense have to be worrisome.

I thought I’d sift through the daily barrage of baseball games to offer quick takes on a few contests.

Baltimore 4, Oakland 3.
WCBS commentator John Sterling is fond of saying “them’s the breaks” in reference to the bad bounces a team has to confront throughout a season. Tonight, the A’s fell victim to one such mishap, when an umpire mistakenly believed first baseman Dan Johnson was pulled off the bag in attempting to record the final out of the 7^th inning. The Orioles went on to score three in the inning, just enough to escape with a victory. So the umpires screwed up just enough to make it noticeable.

Minnesota 9, Chicago 4.
I’m amazed that teams in such a hitter-friendly era can go deep into extra innings against (usually) the worst pitchers on the staff. However, when the Twins finally broke through in the 16^th, they left no doubt by scoring 5 runs on the road. This reminded me a bit of the Boston/Detroit contest, where the Red Sox’ designated hitter David Ortiz homered to tie in the 9^th, prompting the squad to plate a whopping seven men in the top of the 10^th. Detroit answered with four in their half, prompting their fans to yell, “Who cares?”

Washington vs. Philadelphia, postponed.
This I hate to see. The Phillies led 1-0 in the bottom of the inning before the game was called off. Even worse than making the inning academic is torturing the fans with the chance of seeing the game played. Are you legally allowed to laugh at people who have endured a two-hour rain delay, only to see their patience wasted?

Los Angeles Dodgers 6, Atlanta 4.
For a team in the midst of a mediocre season, the Trolley Dodgers certainly have provided drama in the games that have been won. Over the weekend, Antonio Perez and Jayson Werth ruined Pedro Martinez’s no-hit bid and chance to win in the 8^th inning en route to a 2-1 final. Today, they scored three in the 9^th off a shocked Chris Reitsma. Does it qualify for Sports Illustrated’s ‘This Week’s Sign of the Apocalypse’ when a team is 54-64 and one of its members notes that “Things are starting to look better for us"?

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