NEW YORK — Yankees manager Joe Girardi must have figured something was up when he walked into his office after New York finished off the Baltimore Orioles.

There was general manager Brian Cashman, ready to talk — and not about Bobby Abreu’s two home runs or another strong start from Joba Chamberlain.

The Yankees shored up the catcher spot by acquiring 14-time All-Star Ivan Rodriguez from the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday, a deal that went down just as Abreu was hitting the second of his two homers to go forward with one by Alex Rodriguez in a 13-3 rout of the Orioles.

“Guys like Pudge put on’t get to around every day,” Girardi said. “He’s the complete player.”

Jorge Posada had season-ending shoulder surgery Wednesday, and season defensive buzz Jose Molina has been solid at the back the plate, the 36-year-old Rodriguez still represents a significant upgrade. He was hitting .295 with five homers in 82 games this season, and has 13 Gold Gloves to his credit.

New York gave up reliever Kyle Farnsworth to get him, a move made possible with the acquisition of reliever Damaso Marte side by side with outfielder Xavier Nady from Pittsburgh last Friday.

“He’s hopefully going to be an important part of what we’re trying to do this year,” said A-Rod, who was teammates with Rodriguez from 2001-02 with the Texas Rangers.

Cashman said the deal was finalized during the seventh inning of the game against Baltimore, which helped New York avoid its primary three game sweep by the Orioles at Yankee Stadium since 1986.

Abreu did most of the damage in a rare start at DH, adding a double to his two homers while giving the Yankees a big boost as they head into a four-game series through the Los Angeles Angels. Forty-one of New York’s last 55 games are against teams at or above .500.

“I don’t really take pleasure in over much the DH. It’s one of the ways to get a day right hand,” Abreu said, smiling. “I had a good day, but I don’t like the DH.”

Mixing an improving slider with an overpowering fastball, Joba Chamberlain retired 11 of the final 12 batters he faced to win consecutive starts for the first time in his young career. He gave up two runs — only one earned — and five hits in six innings, striking out six without a walk.

Chamberlain (4-3) has allowed only two earned runs over his last three starts covering 19 innings.

“They were aggressive early on the fastball,” Chamberlain said. “When Jose recognizes that and our offense scores runs, it’s pretty easy.”

Taking the round body in place of Brian Burres just a short drive from where he grew up, Baltimore right-hander Dennis Sarfate struggled with control and got little relief from his defense in his first big league start.

By the time Sarfate (4-2) left after four innings, the career reliever had allowed five runs — three earned — on only two hits with three walks.

“I’ve seen him pitch better,” Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. “And when Sarfate came out of the game, our bullpen didn’t back him up.”

Derek Jeter and Abreu drew one-out walks in the first before A-Rod roped a base hit to right field. Nick Markakis tried to nab the Yankees’ captain at home, but his throw sailed high and Abreu followed to the plate, deftly sliding around the tag of catcher Guillermo Quiroz.

Moments later, Rodriguez came home on a passed ball to make it 3-1.

The Orioles got one back in the third on an RBI single by Markakis, but the Yankees wasted not any time — and seemingly no energy - in pulling away.

Abreu drove a 2-1 pitch from Sarfate off the foul pole in right with Johnny Damon aboard to attain it 5-2 in the third. New York added four more in the sixth, getting run-scoring hits from Jason Giambi and Nady. Erratic reliever Fernando Cabrera also issued a bases-loaded walk to Melky Cabrera and threw a wild plant to Jeter, handing the Yankees a 9-2 cushion.

Abreu added a solo shot in the seventh for his 12th career multihomer game and first as a member of the Yankees, and Rodriguez followed with a homer to right.

Juan Castro hit a pinch-hit homer in the eighth for Baltimore, his first of the year.

The teams became testy in the seventh when Yankees reliever Edwar Ramirez threw his first pitch over the head of Kevin Millar. Evidently thinking the pitch was in response to A-Rod getting plunked Tuesday night, plate umpire Mark Wegner immediately ejected Ramirez.

Orioles reliever Alberto Castillo hit Molina in the eighth but the jug remained in the game without so much as a warning, drawing a hearty round of boos from the crowd.

“He intentionally threw it aft his head,” Wegner said of Ramirez. “It was a done deal.”

• Orioles LF Luke Scott fouled a pitch off his shin in the second but stayed in the game.
• Baltimore is 7-5 on the year against the Yankees after having not won a season series against them since 1997. The teams play six added times this season.

Less than 24 hours to go near the front of Thursday’s non-waivers trade deadline, and the sexiest praise uncovered there in Rumor Land remains that of Manny Ramirez.

  The Red Sox are tired of Manny, but will they allow themselves to get worse just to unload him? (US Presswire)   But, at the risk of deflating conversation and puncturing imaginations, the probability that Manny will have being dealt — to Philadelphia, the Dodgers, Florida, anywhere — based on a series of conversations with industry sources Wednesday morning, remain roughly equal to the odds that he’ll show up for this weekend’s Fenway Park series against Oakland with a buzz cut.

The Red Sox “continue to have dialog” through clubs, one source with knowledge of the club’s sprightliness said, and general manager Theo Epstein is acknowledged as a master of being creative, and “the creativity part is the only way it has a come to pass to work,” the source added.

Two key questions must be answered control any Ramirez deal could happen:

1. Which playoff-hopeful clubs could even afford the $7 or $8 million Ramirez is owed the rest of this season?

2. How could the Red Sox trade Ramirez outside of weakening themselves?

The first inquiry can be answered relatively easily: If the deal is right, the Red Sox have indicated to others that they’d be willing to offer a significant portion of Ramirez’s allowance the rest of this year.

As for the second question …

Would the Red Sox be as good or better than they are now with, say, Philadelphia’s Pat Burrell in the lineup instead of Manny? Maybe.

Would they be as good or better with, say, the Dodgers’ Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier in place of Manny? Absolutely not.

One rumor making the rounds Wednesday morning was of Florida being a possible trade partner with the Red Sox. The Marlins could send Josh Willingham (or Jeremy Hermida) Boston’s way if the Red Sox picked up Ramirez’s salary.

But does Willingham better position the Red Sox for another World Series run? Especially after the Los Angeles Angels acquired Mark Teixeira on Tuesday? Not supposing that not the Red Sox make other moves in tandem with a Florida deal.

The New York Mets, by the way, are not involved in the Ramirez discussions.

MASON, Ohio — Reassured that the pain in his right knee is nothing serious, Andy Murray relaxed and won his second-round match Wednesday in a Cincinnati Masters tournament that has already lost three players to injury.

Murray got a medical scan Monday on the knee, which bothers him when he plays a lot of matches in a short time. Assured that there was some inflammation but nothing else wrong, Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (3), 6-1, showing better emotion on the court as the competition went along.

“It was just some inflammation around the kneecap,” Murray said. “Every time I have a scan it’s always there, but at certain times of the year it gets worse when I play a lot of the matches, and also on the hard courts as well.”

The tournament has already lost No. 6 seed Andy Roddick, who withdrew before his match on Tuesday because of pain in his neck and shoulder. Michael Llodra and Nicolas Kiefer also pulled out of their matches Tuesday because of wrong.

Murray reached the semifinals in Toronto last week previous to loss to Rafael Nadal. He arrived in Cincinnati with a No. 9 world ranking and concern that the knee could prevent him from having another good week.

“For me, it is a really important tourney and I want to do skilfully,” Murray said. “I’ve got a good chance of moving my ranking up again this week. To try to get myself seeded in the top eight for the U.S. Open is clew, so I want to try and do better than the guys that are ranked around me.”

James Blake, one place ahead of him in the rankings, needed only an hour to beat France’s Gilles Simon 6-4, 6-3, adding to his summer success on hard courts.

Last year, Blake made it to the final of the $2.6 million ATP Western & Southern Financial Group Masters before losing to Roger Federer. He’s on the upswing again, having reached the semifinals at Indianapolis two weeks ago and the quarterfinals in Toronto last week.

“This is always the time of year I appreciate most,” said Blake, who improved to 24-8 on hard courts. “I’ve had my best results on this kind of court, getting ready for the U.S. Open. in such a manner it fits my game the best, and I feel fair and healthy and strong.”

Blake didn’t have much trouble with Simon, who was approach off a breakthrough win on hard courts. The 23-year-old Frenchman won in Indianapolis, his first ATP title in the United States. He couldn’t keep up with the seventh-seeded Blake, who ran off four straight points to break Simon’s serve and clinch the first set. Blake then held serve throughout a 26-minute second set.

“I’m just as surprised as anyone,” Blake said. “I figured it was going to be a really tough match.”

Blake arrived last Friday and has immersed himself in the local sports scene. He took batting practice before a Cincinnati Reds game on Saturday, and has spent a lot of time with former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker David Pollack, who broke his neck sum of two units years ago and is no longer playing. He met Pollack through mutual friends.

“He’s been nice enough to have me out to his native land club playing golf, and immersing to his house every night with his family,” Blake said. “He’s been cooking and helping me make this place feel like home. It’s been great.”

There was an upset on Wednesday, with Nicolas Lapentti beating fifth-seeded David Ferrer 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-3.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

  NEW YORK (AP) — The Detroit Tigers sent veteran catcher Ivan Rodriguez to the New York Yankees for hard-throwing reliever Kyle Farnsworth on Wednesday, a trade that filled glaring holes for both contenders.

Rodriguez, a 14-time All-Star in the option year of a $50 million deal he signed with the Tigers in February 2004, will step into the hole in the Yankees’ lineup created by Jorge Posada’s shoulder injury. Posada had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder Wednesday and is out for the season.

“You have to bestow up to get,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman before-mentioned. “You acquire to do the balancing act.”

Tigers president Dave Dombrowski said the team didn’t want to trade Rodriguez, but had bigger needs in the bullpen. The two teams began discussing the deal early Wednesday and had it wrapped up about six hours later, just as the Yankees were finishing off a 13-3 win over the Orioles.

“It’s going to be very exciting. They are in the race and I’m ready to do my job,” Rodriguez said.

The Yankees expect Rodriguez to join the team on Thursday, when they start a four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels.

“First let me say that Pudge has done an outstanding job for us,” Dombrowski told reporters before Detroit played the Cleveland Indians. “I’m sure he was very surprised by this, but for him this is a real situation. He’s going to New York City, and they are in contention.”

The 36-year-old Rodriguez, who has won the Gold Glove award 13 times, was hitting .295 with five homers in 82 games this qualify.

“Pudge had a no-trade clause and he waived it today to go to New York,” Rodriguez’s operator, Scott Boras, told the Associated Press on Wednesday afternoon. “Pudge has ever wanted to play in New York and Detroit felt it needed a relief pitcher, so both sides were able to get what they wanted to some degree.”

The Yankees made their second deal in the week leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline. On Friday, the Yankees acquired outfielder Xavier Nady and left-hander Damaso Marte from the Pittsburgh Pirates for four minor leaguers.

Farnsworth, an inconsistent part of the Yankees’ bullpen for the past three seasons, was 1-2 with a 3.65 ERA in 45 games for New York. He joins a bullpen badly in be in want of of reinforcements, three days after veteran Todd Jones was removed from the closer role in Detroit.

“It’s always hard, no matter what,” Farnsworth said in the Yankees’ clubhouse. “Just one of those things you have to deal with.”

Farnsworth pitched for the Tigers for the first four months of 2005, compiling a 2.32 ERA in 46 games before he was traded to the Braves at the trading deadline.

Fernando Rodney, who has one career deducting, is the new closer for the Tigers. He came in Tuesday night in a non-save situation and gave up a run in the ninth.

Dombrowski said it would be up to manager Jim Leyland to decide where to slot Farnsworth in the bullpen, and said Brandon Inge would take over at catcher.

“We think Brandon Inge can do a fine job at catcher and at the same time we’ve done some repair to our bullpen,” Dombrowski said.

Inge said he was excited to be getting a chance to start behind the plate armor upon the body an everyday basis for the first time since 2003, when he started 98 times at catcher. Since then, he’s gotten most of his starts at third base.

“I wanna play every day not matter what position, so I’m pumped,” he said. “Did I learn a lot from Pudge? He’s a future Hall of Famer, so watching him makes everybody better. I’m not Pudge, I’ll just go out and do what I can.”

Tigers slugger Gary Sheffield said the trade made sense to both sides.

“This is a surprise to people if they don’t know the situations of the players,” he said. “Both teams get better by this, and that’s what a trade is supposed to be all about.”

Rodriguez appeared in the Tigers’ completely empty dugout hours before the game and waved over to Indians players, who were taking batting practice. He then disappeared back into the tunnel.

“You talk about a Hall of Fame catcher coming in here,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “He’s been pungent, so I’m looking forward to him being here.”

Rodriguez will be remembered in Detroit for being the star who sparked the franchise’s turnaround when nobody wanted to be a Tiger — at any price.

He signed a $40 million, four-year deal with them after they lost an AL-record 119 games in 2003. He had just helped Florida procure the World Series, earning the MVP award in the NLCS against the Chicago Cubs.

In 2006, Rodriguez and the Tigers reached the World Series.

The player known as Pudge was an All-Star in reaped ground of his first four seasons with the Tigers, earning a spot in baseball’s midsummer classic last year for the 14th time. He also won three more Gold Gloves — giving him a record 13 as a catcher.

Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente and Rodriguez are the only three players in baseball history with at minutest 12 Gold Gloves and a career .300 average or better.

Rodriguez has caught 2,142 games, trailing only Carlton Fisk (2,226) and Bob Boone (2,225) in terms of longevity behind the plate. He has said he wants to play next season and beyond.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

TORONTO — After stumbling into the All-Star break, the Tampa Bay Rays are back in stride.

Carlos Pena homered, Edwin Jackson won consecutive starts for the first time since April and the Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Wednesday, completing a 4-3 anchorage trip.

“This game was definitely big for us,” outfielder B.J. Upton said. “To get to to which place we want to be, we’ve got to be able to win one-run ball games.”

The Rays won for the fourth time in six road games after losing seven straight not present from home.

“That’s a great road trip right there,” Pena said. “We’re really happy about that. It’s going to be a fun plane ride back.”

By winning two of three in Kansas City before approach to Toronto, the Rays gave manager Joe Maddon just what he wanted.

“If I had one thing in the back of my mind before we left it was to just win the road trip somehow,” Maddon said. “You’re always looking for those little growth moments and that may exist one.”

Tampa Bay lost seven straight before the break, including six in a row on the road, but has gone 8-5 since.

“We’re getting the similar trait pitching, better defense and a timely hit or two,” Maddon said. “It’s loving of what we looked like when things were going well in the first half.”

Jackson (7-7) gave up two runs and seven hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out three.

“At this time of the season, every win is an important one,” Jackson said. “You never know, it could be a win today that makes the difference a couple of months down the road.”

The right-hander had not won consecutive starts since his first two outings of the season.

“He showed what he was made of tonight,” Carl Crawford said of Jackson. “He got out of some tough jams and the bullpen came in and held on to it for him.”

Four Tampa Bay relievers each worked a scoreless inning to preserve the victory. J.P Howell pitched the sixth, Grant Balfour struck out a pair in the seventh, Dan Wheeler handled the eighth and Troy Percival wrapped it up in the ninth for his 23rd save in 25 opportunities.

It was the 347th save of Percival’s career, tying him with Randy Myers for eighth on the all-time list. nearest up is Jeff Reardon with 367.

“I’ve just got to set my sights on whoever is next,” Percival said.

Making his major league debut, Blue Jays right-hander Scott Richmond (0-1) allowed three runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

“I like how he handled himself out there,” manager Cito Gaston said. “He did a good job as far as I’m concerned. He deserves not the same start.”

After Crawford put Tampa Bay in front by tripling home Upton in the first, Lyle Overbay’s two-run homer in the bottom half put Toronto up 2-1. The homer was Overbay’s seventh.

Pena tied it with a leadoff homer in the fourth, his 18th. Eric Hinske followed with a double, moved up on Dioner Navarro’s single and scored when Gabe Gross hit into a 6-4-3 double play.

Overbay’s homer was the first and only hit the Blue Jays would get with runners in scoring position. They went 0-for-9 in such opportunities over the final eight innings.

“We had a chance today but once again it’s the same old thing that’s been going on here all year, guys on third base and we can’t get them in with less than two outs,” Gaston grumbled.

Adam Lind went no further after a leadoff triple in the fourth, and Alex Rios and Overbay came up empty with men at first and aid in the fifth. Matt Stairs drew a two-out walk but Lind flied out.

John McDonald and Joe Inglett had back-to-back two-out singles in the sixth, but Howell struck out Marco Scutaro to end the inning.

“We should have won that game 4-3,” Gaston said. “That’s one of the things we’re still working on and keep talking to the guys to see what they’re thinking about which time they’re up there in that situation because be it what it may it is, it’s not too good.”

Scutaro started at third in place of Scott Rolen, who plans to skip some games and cut back on his batting practice while undergoing an “extensive” rehab program for his surgically repaired left shoulder. Rolen is in an 0-for-17 slump and is batting .163 (13-for-80) in July.

• Crawford’s triple was his fourth in five games. He leads the AL with nine.
• The Rays set a team record by winning their 21st series of the season.
• Tampa Bay OF Rocco Baldelli (fatigue) went 1-for-4 as the DH with Double-A Montgomery Tuesday. Baldelli was scheduled to DH again Wednesday and take Thursday off before playing the outfield Friday.
• Richmond is the 14th native Canadian to play for the Blue Jays. Along with Stairs, Toronto had two Canadians in the starting lineup for the first time in the team’s 32-year history.

 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Analyst Stephen Oh of statistical forecasting company AccuScore looks into the implications of the trade that sent Mark Teixeira to the L.A. Angels and Casey Kotchman to the Atlanta Braves:

Regular season

This deal does not significantly impact either the Angels’ or Braves’ chances to make the playoffs.  The Angels led AccuScore forecasts with a 98% probability of making the playoffs and a 5-game lead in total wins before the trade.  With Teixeira, their chances increase by 1 percentage point with an average of 0.5 more wins per counterfeiting. 

Meanwhile, the Braves were given virtually no chance of making a run in the NL East given their injuries and poor play on the road. Their probability of making the playoffs dropped from 1.5% to 1.4% following the trade.

Postseason

through the projected home-field advantage in the American League playoffs, AccuScore ran a series of simulations between the Angels and other top teams in the league (Red Sox, Yankees, Rays, White Sox, Twins). In all, the Angels advanced to the World Series in 39% of the simulations — the highest percentage of any AL team. In addition, the Angels were slightly better with Mark Teixeira, winning 1.5% more of their simulations against top AL competitors.

World Series

Finally, AccuScore ran simulations of the Angels vs. likely National League champions (Cubs, Brewers, Mets and Diamondbacks). With home field advantage (due to the AL winning the All-Star Game), the Angels won over 60% of World Series simulations through the whole extent of all NL teams. Overall, the Angels require a 24% chance of winning the World Series — which is over 8 percentage points higher than any other team.

By Devin Clancy, USA TODAY The Los Angeles Angels already have the best record in the majors and yesterday made a trade with the Atlanta Braves for Mark Teixeira, one of the better hitters on the market. A no-hitter may have been asking too a great quantity.

Angels right-hander John Lackey pitched 8 1/3 hitless innings against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park before second baseman Dustin Pedroia broke up the bid with a single to left field. First baseman Kevin Youkilis followed with a home run to left, but Lackey hung on for the complete game, 6-2 triumph.

“I gave up the hit with a curve — that’s my best pitch,” Lackey told the Los Angeles Times. “I can sleep steady that.”

“I don’t want to say I was crushed, but it was a tough feeling,” catcher Jeff Mathis told the Times.

Lackey threw 120 pitches, 81 were strikes. He struck out four, walked two and hit a batter. Youkilis worked a 10-pitch at-bat in the sixth, giving Lackey one of his toughest challenges of the night, before hitting an inning-ending groundball to shortstop.

David Ortiz led off the seventh with a long drive that sent Vladimir Guerrero running to the warning track in right field. Other than that, Lackey dominated.

“It’s like there’s a white elephant in the dugout,” Manager Mike Scioscia told the Times. “Nobody wants to talk to John. Nobody is mentioning the no-hitter, but we all knew there was an opportunity for John to do something special. You get a hit into left field, your heart drops a little bit. You’re disappointed.”

The Angels scored two in the third with a ground sphere and a bases loaded walk issued by Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz. They added pairs of runs in the fourth and seventh.

Lackey was 1-4 with a 7.46 ERA in seven previous regular season starts at Fenway Park. He also was the losing pitcher in Game 1 of last season’s American League Division Series at Fenway.

The only official no-hitter this season was thrown by Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester on May 19 against the Kansas City Royals. No visiting team has no-hit the Red Sox since Detroit’s Jim Bunning on July 20, 1958.

Angels pitchers Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo lost a 1-0 game to the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 28 in which they allowed no hits. However, since the visiting Angels only pitched eight innings, that no-hitter is not official.

Before the game, the Angels traded first baseman Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Steve Marek to the Braves for Teixeira. Teixeira is hitting .283 with 20 home runs and will add offense to a team that has scored six runs against a strong Red Sox pitching staff on consecutive nights.

“Mark’s definitely a two-way player,” Scioscia told MLB.com. “Mark can play defense and hit from two sides of the plate. He’s a presence in the middle of the lineup.

Another near no-no

Arizona lefty Doug Davis put put on a similar display in San Diego. He took a perfect game into the seventh before giving up a two-out single to Brian Giles.

An inning later, he walked sum of two units to load the bases and was relieved by newly acquired reliever Jon Rauch. Rauch got out of the eighth and the Diamondbacks went on to win 3-0 thanks to a spectacular running grab from right fielder Alex Romero.

Davis allowed couple hits and two walks over 7 2/3 innings, striking out eight. He threw 124 pitches, 76 during the term of strikes.

“I had a terrible session,” Davis told the Arizona Republic of his warm ups. “further during the game, I got into a groove.

“I was thinking, ‘Challenge the hitters.’ I was just thinking, ‘Throw strikes, and let them hit it.’ “

“The ball that Giles hit was a mistake,” Davis told MLB.com. “It was supposed to be down and away. It still wasn’t a bad pitch, but it was elevated to where he could stay inside of it. He put a good swing on it and hit it up the middle.”

Twins tighten AL Central

A night after the Cubs and Brewers gave a preview of October baseball, the White Sox and Twins played every exciting game in Minnesota.

The Twins won 6-5 after manufacturing one of their patented “Little Piranhas” innings in a five-run fifth.

DH Mike Redmond led off through a single. Shortstop Brendan Harris worked a go on foot off of White Sox starting pitcher Clayton Richard. Third baseman Brian Buscher advanced the runners with a groundout and center fielder Denard Span walked to load the bases.

Harris scored on a mould out by catcher Joe Mauer and first baseman Justin Morneau cleared the bases with a double to right field.

“That’s a typical Minnesota Twins baseball game — 25 bloopers and a big blast,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “That’s the way they play. They have that nickname for a reason.”

The Twins added an insurance run in the seventh on a Joe Mauer single. That was important since White Sox center fielder Nick Swisher hit a home run in the ninth to make it 6-5. Swisher homered off of closer Joe Nathan on a pitch that broke his bat at the handle.

The Twins are now a half game behind the White Sox in the AL Central. The teams play again tonight and have a day game tomorrow.

Ichiro in Cooperstown?

Might as well start the debate now.

Ichiro Suzuki has taken an unofficial step toward the Hall of Fame. Last night, Suzuki lined the first pitch he saying in Texas into the outfield for his 3,000th hit between Major League Baseball and the Japan League.

Ichiro had 1,278 hits in a nine-year career playing for the Orix Blue Wave in his native Japan, and now has 1,723 in his career with Seattle, which began in 2001 at age 27.

Of course, by official major league standards, only his hits in this country count. But there is no rule that specifically prohibits Hall of Fame voters from considering his achievements before arriving in the USA.

The Japan Leagues play at a lower state of equality of competition, but they also play 20% fewer games in a season, giving him less opportunity to pad his total against inferior pitching.

His current 3,001 hits would make him a lock for the Hall of Fame now if they were all hit in the major leagues. His cultural relevance as the first Japanese superstar hitter to come to the major leagues would also garner some votes.

He becomes eligible after his 10th big-league season and would get on the ballot five years after retiring. If he plays two more seasons after this year — the minimum to be on the ballot — he would probably have around 2,100 hits and be a borderline case.

Through an expounder, Ichiro told the Associated Press last night that he disputes the notion that his hits in Japan are of lesser value.

“If you anticipate at it, my pace of getting hits in the United States is actually quicker than in Japan,” he said. “So I guess if people want to say those kinds of things, common thing I’d like for them to look at is that statistic.”

But Ichiro is only 34 years old. That gives him an excellent shot of adding at least 1,000 hits to his MLB total and an outside chance of actually reaching 3,000 hits here in the USA.

He has averaged 1.41 hits a game since coming to the Mariners. If he plays until 2014, when he will turn 40, that gives him about 950 more games to play (assuming an average of 150 per season, which would be low by his standards).

If he continues to average 1.41 hits per game, that would give him 1,338 more hits, for a total of 3,061 just in the USA alone. It would also give him 4,339 combined in both countries – close to 40 more than Pete Rose’s all-time record.

He’s unlikely to keep up that 1.41 average, but there’s nothing to keep him from playing until his mid-40s, as Rose did when the all-time hit record was in reach.

Japan’s all-time hit leader is Isao Harimoto, who had 3,085 hits from 1959 to 1981. Harimoto is the only player in the Japan League’s 3,000-hit club.

Washburn watch

Speculation continues on the possibility of a trade of Jarrod Washburnfrom the Mariners to the Yankees. If Washburn is traded, his last appearance as a Mariner could be last night’s ninth-inning pinch running appearance. Washburn scored a run as Seattle tried to capitalize on a five-error night by the Rangers. Texas scored two in the bottom of the ninth to win.

Newsday reports the Washburn deal is gone to one’s last home, citing “person person in the loop” as a source. As with every trade, there’s no reason to believe negotiations can’t continue up to tomorrow’s 4 p.m. nonwaiver deadline.

It must be galling toward the kids back east to discover that the best team in baseball isn’t the Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, Cubs, Mets or Nationals.

Fortunately, through the powers of rationalization, the fans of those teams can always say, “Well, we’ll view how they do in October,” or “thoroughly, who has the World Series trophy now?” or “Yeah, well, where’s your NFL team?”

  If the big trade didn’t get your attention, John Lackey’s gem surely woke you up. (Getty Images)   Or, in the case of the Nationals, “Hey, we’re upholding our proud tradition as the one place in America where baseball doesn’t translate.”

Truth is, though, The The Angels Angels of Anaheim — as their name is translated from the Spanish “The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim” — have been stealthing their way to the reach the summit of for some time now, despite not having the kind of glittering peripheral statistics that blind mathematicians, the kind of helpful geography that the globe’s course round defeats with every fresh spin, or even the glamour of fans who beat up other fans for having the wrong license plates.

No, 2T3A, to use their acronym, is just a team that seems to thrive in the reflected glory of others.

The Angels don’t have the pure insanity of Red Sox Nation, the hypercritical narcissism of Steinbrenner Nation, the present for self-absorption of Mets Nation, the “It’s Our Turn To Win Because Everyone Loves Us” delusion of Cubs Nation, the Ozzie Guillen-ness of Guillen Nation, or the staggering historical incompetence of Nationals … er, Nation.

They tool by, underneath the radar calm in their own community, trying to escape the Dodgers’ win-one, lose-one shadow before Southern Cal football starts up in the fall. And between owning the Red Sox, watching their own division turn into coal and getting the Mark Teixeira deal done against the flow of the rumor comminute, they are, as of right now, better positioned to arrive October than anyone else.

Of course, it could all go hideously toward the south, which given the current state of the Padres probably isn’t all that apt any analogy. Frankie Rodriguez, who has 138 saves this year, could break down. Teixeira could come just in time for Vladimir Guerrero to go into a slump. One of their starting pitchers could come up arm-lame. Manager Mike Scioscia could decide to retire and learn the accordion.

It is, after all, July 30, and the season goes on forever.

But the realization that 2T3A — oh, hell, they’re just the Angels, no matter what we try to do for them — were better positioned for glory than the more glamorous teams force-fed to us on a daily basis was, in and of itself, a triumph, because one of the great faults of the 24/7 sports news cycle is that it fills itself not through more coverage of everyone, but with too much coverage of the same old trash.

See Favre, Brett. See Ramirez, Manny.

Tuesday, Favre learned to use a fax machine, and Ramirez didn’t run out a couple of balls. This was the big-deal news of the day, at least for anyone not emotionally invested in Tim Donaghy’s new summer job.

The Angels, who have only won two of every three games since May 17, had to come to Boston, trade for Teixeira and nearly get a no-hitter from John Lackey to get people to say, “Hey, look what I found!”

OAKLAND, Calif. — Jose Guillen drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning and the Kansas City Royals beat the Athletics 4-3 on Wednesday to complete their first three-game sweep in Oakland in 20 years.

The Royals last swept the A’s in a series in 1999 in Kansas City, but had not done so in Oakland since June 14-16, 1988.

The slumping A’s fell to 2-10 since the All-Star break, the get the better of record in the majors, and fell under .500 for the first time since April 6.

Esteban German led off the inning through a pinch-hit single against A’s closer Huston Street, then took third when Mike Aviles doubled just beyond the glove of diving right fielder Ryan Sweeney. After an out and an intentional walk of Alex Gordon, Guillen’s fly ball to center field scored German.

Ramon Ramirez (2-1) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win, while Joakim Soria pitched a perfect 10th for his 30th save in 32 opportunities.

Kansas City starter Brian Bannister gave up eight hits, walked four and pitched in and out of trouble in his five innings. He matched his career high of seven strikeouts and was in position to win for the first time in more than a month, but Kansas City’s bullpen couldn’t hold the lead.

The Royals’ right-hander, who makes his offseason home in nearby San Ramon, has not won in his last six starts and lost for the second time in Oakland this year. Bannister’s last road win came on June 18, in St. Louis.

A’s starter Sean Gallagher didn’t fare much better. He scattered five hits athwart five innings and struck out four, but was tagged beneficial to two runs in the third and gave up another in the sixth onward Guillen’s RBI single that gave the Royals a 3-2 lead.

Oakland took a 2-0 allure on RBI singles from Bobby Crosby and Ryan Sweeney in the second.

Kansas City tied the game an inning later when Mike Aviles doubled in Miguel Olivo and then scored on Mitch Maier’s single.

The Athletics tied the game in the seventh on another RBI single by Crosby.

The Royals threatened again in the eighth and ninth, getting a runner to second base with less than two outs but failed to move him over. They finally capitalized in the 10th off Street (2-4).

Oakland reliever Brad Ziegler pitched three shutout innings to extend his major league record for scoreless innings to start a career. The righty has not allowed a run in 30 innings since being called up from the minors on May 30, smashing the previous mark of 25 set by Philadelphia’s George McQuillan in 1907.

Ziegler got plenty of help from the A’s defense, which turned three inning-ending double plays behind him. The streak is the second-longest scoreless streak by a reliever in Oakland history.

The A’s are expected to activate DH Frank Thomas from the DL on Friday in time for the team’s trip to Boston. Thomas, out since May 29 with right quadriceps tendinitis, faced reliever Keith Foulke in a simulated game Wednesday and afterward declared himself ready. … Gordon drew five walks in all, two intentional, to set a franchise single-game record. … Oakland’s Mark Ellis played in his 721st game at second base for the A’s, matching Dick Green’s team record.

England coach Peter Moores has defended under-fire batsman Paul Collingwood as after he was dismissed cheaply again in the third Test against South Africa.

Collingwood has been out of form so far this summer, notching just 96 runs in nine first class innings, and was left to the end of the second Test at Headingley.

Many experts were surprised to see him recalled to the side for the Edgbaston Test, reasoning that a return to County cricket could help him recapture his form.

Collingwood made just four runs to England’s total of 231 all out, as the top order continued to struggle as a unit against South Africa’s pace attack.

However, Moores defended the inclusion of Collingwood in the side, claiming his past performances should earn him more extra appropriated time to rediscover his best form before he is dropped altogether.

Moores said: "We wanted to play a different shape in this game because we thought it was our best team.

"He is playing pretty well in his practice and he has another dig in the game, so he’s got a chance. He’s a tough bloke Colly and he has played well for England over the last 12-18 months."

England arguably have a like-for-like replacement in Essex’s Ravi Bopara, who underlined his credentials with a blistering 112 not out off 52 balls against Derbyshire in a Pro40 match on Monday.

But Moores says he and his coaching staff believe Collingwood will come good if given time.

"He has had a distressing run of scores but we support him because we think he is playing skilfully enough and can come through that. Paul has served England very well in the past and I think be pleased do long into the future," said Moores.

With Michael Vaughan also toiling with the bat without great success both England Test captain and their one-day captain are under hurry. If both men were axed that would allowance the side without much natural leadership which could account for their continued inclusion.

 

South Africa’s bowlers dominated England upon the first day of the third Test at Edgbaston as the hosts were dismissed for 231.

Andre Nel took two wickets in two balls in the morning session as the Proteas gained upper hand early on. However, wickets continued to tumble throughout the day and England struggled to put partnerships together.

Having been bowled out, one consolation for Michael Vaughan’s men came just before the close of frolic when Andrew Flintoff dismissed South African captain Graeme Smith but England must have a favorable second epoch to stand a chance of winning the Test.

The hosts went to lunch at 82-3 after Andrew Strauss, Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen were wholly dismissed in the space of three overs just before the break.

England had looked good on 68 without waste before paceman Nel dismissed Strauss after the batsman trod on his stumps, just when the home side’s openers looked to be settling into a steady rhythm at the crease after reaching 68 without loss by the 24th over.

Strauss was quickly followed back into the pavilion by his captain Michael Vaughan, as the Yorkshireman continued his poor run of form when he edged behind to Mark Boucher off Nel’s very next ball to leave England reeling.

Vaughan appeared to doubt the decision of umpire Aleem Dar but replays, although inconclusive, suggested in that place had been a hint of an edge.

Kevin Pietersen then came to the crease and fended off Nel’s hat-trick ball, but soon after added to England’s woes as he was caught at short leg by Ashwell Prince off Jacques Kallis.

After lunch Alastair Cook and Ian Bell tried to rebuild the innings and had added 62 before the Essex man edged Nel to Kallis at slip.

Paul Collingwood’s troubles continued and he could only add four to the score. Tim Ambrose and Flintoff helped England pass the 200-mark but the lower-order offered little resistance to the Proteas’ attack.

The innings ended in calamity as James Anderson and Monty Panesar were run out in the same over.

At the end of the Flintoff struck in his first over but could not repeat the trick against night watchman Paul Harris, leaving South Africa on 38-1 at stumps.