Joba Chamberlain

Kansas City Royals closer Joakim Soria decided Friday to undergo reconstructive elbow surgery, which will force him to miss the entire season. Soria left Sunday's game against Cleveland with a pain in his right elbow that was later diagnosed as ligament damage. Surgery is set for April 3 for the two-time all-star who has 160 saves the last five seasons. He also missed the 2003 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.   Chamberlain hurts ankle Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain dislocated his right ankle while playing with his son on a trampoline, jeopardizing his immediate future after yet another odd misstep for New York's bullpen at spring training.

Never too many So nobody but the best team in baseball wanted Bartolo Colon? As if the Red Sox didn't have enough going for them - even before their two grand slams yesterday - they called up the former Cy Young Award winner, out of the majors since an elbow injury last season, and Colon pitched five innings Wednesday against Kansas City, giving up two runs in a 6-3 win. Colon is the eighth pitcher to start for Boston this season. "We say it all the time. If you think you [only]

A day after the Yankees clinched a playoff berth, Phil Hughes kept alive New York's slim hopes in the American League East. The rookie righthander allowed four hits in seven innings, and Jose Molina delivered a two-run single last night to lead the visiting Yankees over Tampa Bay, 3-1. Joba Chamberlain pitched on consecutive days for the first time, striking out B.J. Upton to escape a jam with runners at first and second in the eighth inning....

David Ortiz, Mike Lowell, Jason Bay, Jason Varitek, Kevin Youkilis and, finally, Jacoby Ellsbury. Home run by home run, the visiting Boston Red Sox pulled within .002 percentage points of first place in the American League East with a 13-5 victory over the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays last night. All totaled, they hit six homers, the most since they hit six on Aug. 3, 2003. The defending World Series champions won for the first time in seven games at Tropicana Field this season.

In the Yankees' bullpen, Mariano Rivera was using a heat pack to keep warm. "It's cold out there," Rivera said. With two outs in the top of the ninth inning and the score tied at 4-4, Johnny Damon singled to left field off Phillies reliever Brad Lidge. That was when Rivera rose to his feet. Both developments spelled doom for the Phillies. The Yankees rallied for three runs off Lidge, and Rivera closed the door with his record-setting 11th save in World Series play as New York took a 7-4 victory in Game 4. "Those guys are the best," Rivera said of the Yankees' hitters.

EVERYONE LOVES TO HATE the Yankees. Even major league players. Sports Illustrated conducted a poll, asking 185 players who they thought was the most overrated player. The top three vote-getters all wear Yankee pinstripes as do five of the top 10. Alex Rodriguez was No. 1, garnering 18 percent of the vote. He was followed by Joba Chamberlain (12 percent) and Derek Jeter (7). Former Phillie Jayson Werth, now with the Nationals, checked in at No. 4 and the Red Sox' Jonathan Papelbon was fifth.

Joba Chamberlain went home to Nebraska over the All-Star break. He played with his 3-year-old son and just stayed away from baseball for a while. "Probably the best 4 days I've had in my life," he said. It also turned out pretty well for the New York Yankees. Chamberlain won for the first time in almost a month and the Yankees got home runs from Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez in a 2-1 victory over visiting Detroit yesterday, completing a three-game sweep of the AL Central leader.

Once Nick Swisher got the signs down, he delivered the big hit that helped the New York Yankees complete a three-game sweep. Swisher hit a three-run homer after mistakenly thinking he was supposed to bunt, to help A.J. Burnett snap an 11-start winless streak on the road as the Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics for the 10th straight time, 4-2, yesterday. The big blow came in the fourth inning when Swisher showed bunt against Gio Gonzalez for the first two pitches with runners on first and second and no outs.

Yankees ace Chien-Ming Wang is expected to be sidelined until at least September after injuring his foot running the bases, prompting club co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner to chastise the National League for playing without a designated hitter. An examination in New York yesterday showed Wang partially tore a tendon and sprained his right foot Sunday during the Yankees' 13-0 interleague win at Houston. He will be on crutches and wear a protective boot for a minimum of 6 weeks, the latest blow to the team's banged-up pitching staff.

Kansas City Royals closer Joakim Soria decided Friday to undergo reconstructive elbow surgery, which will force him to miss the entire season. Soria left Sunday's game against Cleveland with a pain in his right elbow that was later diagnosed as ligament damage. Surgery is set for April 3 for the two-time all-star who has 160 saves the last five seasons. He also missed the 2003 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.   Chamberlain hurts ankle Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain dislocated his right ankle while playing with his son on a trampoline, jeopardizing his immediate future after yet another odd misstep for New York's bullpen at spring training.

David Ortiz hit one of three Boston homers to back a tireless Tim Wakefield and the Red Sox extended their domination of the Yankees this season, beating New York, 11-6, last night to take over first place in the AL East. Carl Crawford and J.D. Drew also connected, both in the ninth inning to break the game open for a second time. Jacoby Ellsbury had three hits and Adrian Gonzalez added two RBI. Facing his most familiar foe in Wakefield (3-1), Derek Jeter finished 1-for-5 to move within 11 hits of 3,000.

EVERYONE LOVES TO HATE the Yankees. Even major league players. Sports Illustrated conducted a poll, asking 185 players who they thought was the most overrated player. The top three vote-getters all wear Yankee pinstripes as do five of the top 10. Alex Rodriguez was No. 1, garnering 18 percent of the vote. He was followed by Joba Chamberlain (12 percent) and Derek Jeter (7). Former Phillie Jayson Werth, now with the Nationals, checked in at No. 4 and the Red Sox' Jonathan Papelbon was fifth.

Once Nick Swisher got the signs down, he delivered the big hit that helped the New York Yankees complete a three-game sweep. Swisher hit a three-run homer after mistakenly thinking he was supposed to bunt, to help A.J. Burnett snap an 11-start winless streak on the road as the Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics for the 10th straight time, 4-2, yesterday. The big blow came in the fourth inning when Swisher showed bunt against Gio Gonzalez for the first two pitches with runners on first and second and no outs.

NEW YORK - A healthy Curtis Granderson helped give the Yankees their earliest home win ever. Granderson hit a go-ahead homer leading off the seventh inning, and Mark Teixeira had a three-run shot off Justin Verlander, lifting New York over the Detroit Tigers, 6-3, on Thursday in the first March opener in the Bronx. "It was great - except for the weather," said Granderson. CC Sabathia pitched six workmanlike innings, Derek Jeter added a sacrifice fly in the seventh using his new stride-less swing, and Mariano Rivera earned his first save and 560th of his career.

Andy Pettitte became the latest aging, aching star on the Yankees. The lefthander had to leave his start against the Orioles after five innings yesterday, and New York's depleted bullpen - missing Mariano Rivera - almost coughed up a five-run lead before finally closing out Baltimore, 7-5, to finish a three-game sweep. The 37-year-old Pettitte felt stiffness above his elbow and in the back of his pitching arm. He went to the hospital for an MRI that showed mild inflammation of his elbow.

The long-term role for New York Yankees righthander Joba Chamberlain has not been determined. New York general manager Brian Cashman yesterday didn't commit to or rule out Chamberlain getting an opportunity to be in the rotation next season. Chamberlain was moved into a relief role Thursday when he lost out to Phil Hughes in the fifth starter competition. Cashman said his focus is on this season and that there have been no decisions made on Chamberlain's status for 2011. "We haven't had any team meetings and said, 'All right, he's a reliever for the rest of his life.

The decision that New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi preferred not to make is staring him in the face. With the Yankees missing out on their chance to put the Phillies away, losing 8-6 last night in Game 5 at Citizens Bank Park to send the World Series back to the Bronx, Girardi needs a starter for tomorrow night's sixth game. All signs point to it being 37-year-old lefthander Andy Pettitte, arguably the most successful starting pitcher in postseason history. But Pettitte will be working on three days rest, the same as Game 5 starter A.J. Burnett, who got lit up for six earned runs in two-plus innings last night.

A reliever needs a memory like a goldfish. Sometimes, it's more like an elephant. Sometimes, that's a good thing. Joba Chamberlain yesterday recalled the three-run homer he surrendered to Indians pinch-hitter David Dellucci in the eighth inning . . . more than 17 months before. Chamberlain remembered what teammate Mariano Rivera, baseball's best reliever, told him after Chamberlain delivered Dellucci's bomb in May 2008: "Just forget about it. I mean, you've got to make your next pitch and get out of the inning and get your guys off the field.

In the Yankees' bullpen, Mariano Rivera was using a heat pack to keep warm. "It's cold out there," Rivera said. With two outs in the top of the ninth inning and the score tied at 4-4, Johnny Damon singled to left field off Phillies reliever Brad Lidge. That was when Rivera rose to his feet. Both developments spelled doom for the Phillies. The Yankees rallied for three runs off Lidge, and Rivera closed the door with his record-setting 11th save in World Series play as New York took a 7-4 victory in Game 4. "Those guys are the best," Rivera said of the Yankees' hitters.