With 16 wins and an earned run average of 2.81, Sabathia is on the outside of a tight race with Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers and Jered Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels. But if Sabathia did not have to pitch against the Red Sox so often, Verlander and Weaver might be looking up at him. As good as Sabathia has been this year, the thorn in his meaty left paw has been the Red Sox, who have made him look pedestrian at best. The most recent example was Boston’s 10-4 victory Saturday at Fenway Park that halted the Yankees’ winning streak at eight games. ray-ban sunglasses Once again, Sabathia was pasted by the Red Sox. The streaking Jacoby Ellsbury hit a three-run homer against Sabathia in a five-run fourth inning and collected a career-high six runs batted in, doubling his previous high. Red Sox starter John Lackey, although not dominant — he gave up three runs and six hits in six innings — was better than Sabathia and good enough to earn his 10th win of the season. In all, Sabathia gave up seven earned runs and nine hits over six innings. His record against Boston fell to 0-4, with a 7.20 E.R.A. Against everyone else, he is 16-2 with a 2.11 E.R.A. He cannot subdue the Red Sox, and he is not alone. Boston leads the A.L. in batting average, runs, hits and total bases, and is second to the Yankees in home runs. With Saturday’s victory, the Red Sox moved into a tie with the Yankees for first place in the A.L. East and won for the ninth time in 11 games against the Yankees. The teams are also tied for first place in the wild-card standings, with a big lead over the second-place Angels, making the outcome of this series less critical than it would have been before the wild card was first used, in 1995. cheap Oakley Sunglasses In the series finale Sunday night, Josh Beckett, the Red Sox’ ace, will face Freddy Garcia. Sabathia came into the game having won 9 of his previous 10 starts, and was 7-1 with a 1.01 E.R.A in his previous eight starts. But when facing the Red Sox, it is as if he is a different pitcher. After the Yankees scrambled to even the score at 2-2 in the top of the fourth inning, Sabathia gave it back in the bottom half. The Red Sox pounded Sabathia for five runs in the inning, stamped with emphasis by Ellsbury’s rainbow shot into the first few rows in right field. The inning did not start well for Sabathia. Kevin Youkilis hit a rope to the midpoint of the wall in left-center field for a double. Sabathia struck out David Ortiz, but right fielder Mike Aviles singled to right, pushing Youkilis to third, then Carl Crawford drove in Youkilis with a ground single to left. Jarrod Saltalamacchia fouled out, but Marco Scutaro kept the inning alive by smacking a line single to center that brought home Aviles. That enabled Ellsbury to come to the plate with runners at first and second, and Sabathia gave him a 2-0 pitch waist high and right over the plate. cheap Prada Sunglasses Ellsbury hit a high fly ball down the right-field line and into the grandstand for his 19th home run of the year and his 8th since the All-Star break. Perhaps the only encouraging aspect of the day for Sabathia was that he remained in the game and held Boston scoreless over his final two innings. In the eighth, Mark Teixeira hit his 32nd home run off Daniel Bard, but the Red Sox tacked on three runs in the bottom half against Hector Noesi. In much the same way they rallied from a two-run deficit Friday night, the Yankees manufactured a pair of runs in the fourth inning Saturday to even the score, 2-2. The night before, Robinson Cano hit into a bases-loaded double play with no outs and the bases loaded to bring in a run. This time, Cano was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out, and Nick Swisher did the honors by hitting into a 4-6-3 double play that pushed home a run. In the first game of the series. Swisher got the key hit after the double play, and on Sunday, with Teixeira at third base, Eric Chavez got the run-scoring hit. His single to sent home Teixeira to make it a 2-2 game. cheap Armani Sunglasses At the time, it seemed to signal a shift in the momentum of the game. But the Yankees’ inability to cash in more runs in the inning proved costly when Sabathia once again could not contain the Red Sox.
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With 16 wins and an earned run average of 2.81, Sabathia is on the outside of a tight race with Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers and Jered Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels. But if Sabathia did not have to pitch against the Red Sox so often, Verlander and Weaver might be looking up at him. As good as Sabathia has been this year, the thorn in his meaty left paw has been the Red Sox, who have made him look pedestrian at best. The most recent example was Boston’s 10-4 victory Saturday at Fenway Park that halted the Yankees’ winning streak at eight games. ray-ban sunglasses Once again, Sabathia was pasted by the Red Sox. The streaking Jacoby Ellsbury hit a three-run homer against Sabathia in a five-run fourth inning and collected a career-high six runs batted in, doubling his previous high. Red Sox starter John Lackey, although not dominant — he gave up three runs and six hits in six innings — was better than Sabathia and good enough to earn his 10th win of the season. In all, Sabathia gave up seven earned runs and nine hits over six innings. His record against Boston fell to 0-4, with a 7.20 E.R.A. Against everyone else, he is 16-2 with a 2.11 E.R.A. He cannot subdue the Red Sox, and he is not alone. Boston leads the A.L. in batting average, runs, hits and total bases, and is second to the Yankees in home runs. With Saturday’s victory, the Red Sox moved into a tie with the Yankees for first place in the A.L. East and won for the ninth time in 11 games against the Yankees. The teams are also tied for first place in the wild-card standings, with a big lead over the second-place Angels, making the outcome of this series less critical than it would have been before the wild card was first used, in 1995. cheap Oakley Sunglasses In the series finale Sunday night, Josh Beckett, the Red Sox’ ace, will face Freddy Garcia. Sabathia came into the game having won 9 of his previous 10 starts, and was 7-1 with a 1.01 E.R.A in his previous eight starts. But when facing the Red Sox, it is as if he is a different pitcher. After the Yankees scrambled to even the score at 2-2 in the top of the fourth inning, Sabathia gave it back in the bottom half. The Red Sox pounded Sabathia for five runs in the inning, stamped with emphasis by Ellsbury’s rainbow shot into the first few rows in right field. The inning did not start well for Sabathia. Kevin Youkilis hit a rope to the midpoint of the wall in left-center field for a double. Sabathia struck out David Ortiz, but right fielder Mike Aviles singled to right, pushing Youkilis to third, then Carl Crawford drove in Youkilis with a ground single to left. Jarrod Saltalamacchia fouled out, but Marco Scutaro kept the inning alive by smacking a line single to center that brought home Aviles. That enabled Ellsbury to come to the plate with runners at first and second, and Sabathia gave him a 2-0 pitch waist high and right over the plate. cheap Prada Sunglasses Ellsbury hit a high fly ball down the right-field line and into the grandstand for his 19th home run of the year and his 8th since the All-Star break. Perhaps the only encouraging aspect of the day for Sabathia was that he remained in the game and held Boston scoreless over his final two innings. In the eighth, Mark Teixeira hit his 32nd home run off Daniel Bard, but the Red Sox tacked on three runs in the bottom half against Hector Noesi. In much the same way they rallied from a two-run deficit Friday night, the Yankees manufactured a pair of runs in the fourth inning Saturday to even the score, 2-2. The night before, Robinson Cano hit into a bases-loaded double play with no outs and the bases loaded to bring in a run. This time, Cano was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out, and Nick Swisher did the honors by hitting into a 4-6-3 double play that pushed home a run. In the first game of the series. Swisher got the key hit after the double play, and on Sunday, with Teixeira at third base, Eric Chavez got the run-scoring hit. His single to sent home Teixeira to make it a 2-2 game. cheap Armani Sunglasses At the time, it seemed to signal a shift in the momentum of the game. But the Yankees’ inability to cash in more runs in the inning proved costly when Sabathia once again could not contain the Red Sox.
The first day of Carl Crawford’s 30s found him batting sixth against the Yankees on Friday at Fenway Park. In the context of this season, it was nothing unusual. Crawford has batted sixth, seventh or eighth in 70 of his 83 starts for the Boston Red Sox. Ray Ban Sunglasses
Yet considering the way Crawford played in his 20s, at least for the Tampa Bay Rays, the lineup card is still startling. The Red Sox might have expected this at the end of the seven-year, $142 million contract they gave Crawford in December. Not now. Crawford came into Friday’s game hitting .242 — 54 points below his career average for the Rays. His on-base percentage was .276. Only two outfielders in the majors started Friday with as many plate appearances as Crawford and a lower on-base percentage: Vernon Wells of the Los Angeles Angels and Alex Rios of the Chicago White Sox. “The first part of the season was really tough,” Manager Terry Francona said, “and he’s going to pay for that statistically when you look up at the end of the year.” Crawford declined an interview request before Friday’s game; explaining his struggles was probably not on his wish list for his 30th birthday. But after signing the richest contract of any free agent last winter, Crawford has largely escaped criticism in a baseball-mad city. Oakley Sunglasses
He is generally good-natured, which helps, and he has three game-ending hits this season, which helps more. But mostly, the Red Sox have a strong enough team to be winning without the vintage Crawford. They lead the majors in runs scored and are comfortably in a playoff position. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez, Boston’s other major off-season prize, has adjusted smoothly and become a leading candidate for the American League Most Valuable Player award. And the Red Sox do have a pesky leadoff man with a .300 average and lots of stolen bases — but it is Jacoby Ellsbury, who has blossomed into an All-Star. Crawford has been grinding, not gliding, through a trying season. “Carl is one of the best competitors I’ve ever, ever been around,” said Red Sox reliever Dan Wheeler, Crawford’s teammate with the Rays. “So he goes out there and battles every single day. I guess he’s not having the year he wants to have, but he’s still doing a lot of things to help the team win games, just by being in the lineup.” Prada Sunglasses
Crawford has never drawn many walks — his career on-base percentage is .334 — and he must rely on hits to get on base. His .278 average on balls in play this season is a career low, and suggests he has often hit into bad luck. Francona praised Crawford’s aggressive base running, although Crawford has not run very much — 12 stolen bases in 17 tries. According to advanced defensive metrics, he has been about average in the field after several seasons well above average for Tampa Bay. For now, anyway, it would seem as if the Red Sox again grossly overpaid a free agent. The Yankees have done this many times, of course, but the Red Sox have made it a similar habit. Mike Cameron, Matt Clement, J. D. Drew, John Lackey, Julio Lugo and Daisuke Matsuzaka have all produced less than the Red Sox expected. Drew, Lugo and Matsuzaka, at least, helped deliver a championship in 2007. Crawford has seven years to do the same, plenty of time to earn the money. His problems have not been for lack of trying, and the work ethic that helped him succeed in Tampa Bay should eventually produce results here. Carrera Sunglasses
“I don’t know if he can work any harder than he does,” Wheeler said. “A lot of guys don’t see Carl. He gets here early. I noticed that through the Tampa years — you don’t see him work out unless you’re there early. He’s had one of the best routines I’ve ever seen. That’s the reason why he’s as good as he is.” Crawford has also endured a terribly disjointed season. After two hitless games to start the season, he was dropped to seventh in the order for a day. By the end of April, he was batting eighth and hitting .155. Crawford heated up from there, batting .295 until June 17, when a hamstring strain put him on the disabled list for a month. In his first 16 games since returning, he hit .234. Francona acknowledged the uneven performance but sounded hopeful of a revival. For the money the Red Sox invested — and the track record they invested in — he really has no choice. Armani Sunglasses
“If he’s the Crawford that we have come to know,” Francona said, “even if his batting average is a little bit lower at the end of the year than it’s supposed to be, that doesn’t mean he can’t be the player that we are looking for.”
New Haven Family law reform is gaining momentum in New York State: last month lawmakers legalized same-sex marriage, while last year they adopted no-fault divorce, allowing couples to end a marriage without a demonstration of wrongdoing. In separate legislation adopted at the same time, New York also became one of the few states to adopt a formula for setting certain alimony awards, making them fairer and predictable. The rest of the country should do the same. According to the Internal Revenue Service, former spouses pay around $9 billion in alimony each year. The amounts and payment schedules are usually decided by family court judges using a list of factors, including the length of the marriage, the ages and health of the spouses, their financial situations, their earning potential and their contributions to the marriage, financial and otherwise. Ray Ban Sunglasses
These criteria are sensible enough. But judges are on their own in deciding how to prioritize the various factors and how to translate them into dollar amounts, resulting in wildly inconsistent alimony awards. When asked how much alimony a lifelong homemaker married to a doctor deserved, judges in an Ohio survey estimated as little as $5,000 a year and as much as $175,000. The unpredictability of alimony rules imposes several costs. Negotiating a settlement deal is much harder when spouses have no idea what they’ll end up with if they take their chances in court. Litigation drags on and the bills pile up when lawyers and experts have to prove their clients deserve any alimony at all. All the while, the emotional costs mount as people awaiting divorce continue in unhappy marriages; some stay married indefinitely because they don’t know if divorce will leave them with enough money to make it on their own. That’s particularly troubling in cases of domestic violence: some wives endure years of abuse because they can’t be sure husbands who control the family finances will be required to give them the money they need to live if they leave. Oakley Sunglasses
New York’s law minimizes these costs by establishing a mathematical formula to calculate temporary alimony, which one spouse pays the other while the divorce is pending; it also allows judges to adjust those awards up or down under special circumstances. Under the formula, alimony is set at 30 percent of the higher-earning spouse’s income, minus 20 percent of the lower-earning spouse’s, as long as the recipient doesn’t end up with more than 40 percent of the couple’s combined income. For example, a banker making $500,000 a year married to a writer earning $50,000 could expect to pay around $140,000 a year. Along with New York, Pennsylvania and Colorado have also switched to numerical guidelines. But these apply only to temporary alimony, which ends once a divorce is finalized; no state has applied a formula to ordinary alimony, which is paid for months or years following a divorce. There is no reason they, and the rest of the country, shouldn’t go all the way: the group that created the formula adopted by the Legislature, the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, intended it to be used for all alimony awards. Prada Sunglasses
Moreover, several local bar associations and family law organizations have come up with their own, slightly different, formulas for permanent alimony, giving state legislatures plenty of models to choose from. And lawmakers, recognizing that no formula will get it right every time, can also allow judicial discretion to modify alimony awards in unusual circumstances. In fact, judges already have the discretion to rely on formulas if they want. But many are reluctant because state laws tell them to rely on their own judgment; consulting a mathematical formula can thus seem like dereliction of duty. Maryland has taken the lead in putting this concern to rest. Last year its top court ruled that, even though the state alimony law mandates that judges exercise discretion, it allows them to consult a formula to inform their decisions. That’s a big victory: it’s a lot harder for judges to make outlandishly large or small alimony awards when parties can point them to an objective standard. Legislatures should go further and require judges to start with alimony formulas, and then apply discretion. Changing alimony from a gamble to something more predictable would make the judges’ jobs a lot easier — and the divorce process a lot fairer. Carrera Sunglasses