AJ Burnett was dominant, and Johnny Damon was mediocre, causing the Yankees to once again slip to 11 games behind the Rays in the AL East, and 6.5 games behind the Red Sox in the wild card race. In 8 innings, Burnett struck out an amazing 13 Yankee batters, while giving up only 1 run on 5 hits for the 2-1 Blue Jays victory.

Burnett was brutal to the heart of the Yankees' lineup, striking out Jason Giambi 4 times, Alex Rodriguez 3 times, and Derek Jeter and Damon twice each. The only Yankees hitters without a strikeout were Robinson Cano and Bobby Abreu.

Adam Lind's HR in the 7th inning tied the game at 1 after the Yankees had taken an early lead, and then Damon dropped a fly ball in the 8th, resulting in the eventual winning run.
Ricky Nolasco joined Burnett as the only other pitcher of the day with double-digit K's. He threw a 2-hit shutout, striking out 11 in a 6-0 win over the hapless GIants. Marlins catcher John Baker went 3-4 with 2 runs and an RBI in the win.

----- Other MLB Games -----
AL:
Red Sox 7, Orioles 2
Indians 9, Royals 4
Rays 4, Angels 2
White Sox 5, Mariners 0
Twins 13, Athletics 2
Tigers 11, Rangers 3

NL:
Phillies 5, Nationals 4
Mets 7, Braves 3
Astros 5, Brewers 2
Cubs 5, Red 0
Pirates 4, Cardinals 1
Diamondbacks 7, Padres 6
Rockies 8, Dodgers 3


----- Other MLB News/Notes -----

1967 Triple Crown winner and Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski has triple-bypass surgery. Get well soon, Yaz.

The Reds are so bad, the had to apologize to their fans. Ouch.

Steve Bartman's not the only Cubs fan who can catch. Only this guy's catch was way cooler.

Josh Beckett will miss his next start due to finger numbness. Heads up, Sox fans. Keep an eye on this one.



Streakers - In case any team tries to make history, I'm going to list the teams with the longest active winning and losing streaks. Today's streakers:
Rockies, Cubs: 4 wins
Nationals: 11 losses

This news is a few days old, but I hope you don't mind. My shallow Olympic-related posts must continue.

One of my bigger learnings during these Olympics is that there is a bountiful supply of beautiful athletes. I hasn't always been this way, has it? From Leryn Franco to Sheena Tosta to [insert your favorite tennis star here], the list is quite long. 

Before these games began, 100% Injury Rate listed 10 Olympians who had posed for the Playboy. We may need to edit our work as the list will surely double by the end of these Beijing Games, thanks in large part to a quartet of German Olympians.

The Sun UK has all the details [NSFW pic]:

Petra Niemann is competing in her third Olympiad, and sailing is her game. “I’ve been working hard with my psychologist,” she told Playboy, as if to suggest this had something to do with sport or being naked.

Kayaker Nicole Reinhardt is one of Germany’s best hopes for gold in Beijing, and is grateful that her sport is about technique, so the “dickere und kräftigere” (”butch”) ladies have nothing on her svelte frame.

I'm still partial to Ms. Leryn Franco, but I'll grant Romy Tarangul a silver medal in the hot Olympian competition.

Since it's Wednesday, and you may be bored, here's the NSFW German guide to these Olympic Playboy pictures. There's very little written in English, just in case you try to use the "reading for the articles" excuse. Just sayin'.

THE GERMAN TEAM IS ALL NAKED - UPDATE [With Leather]