Up next: The Yankees

© St. Petersburg Times
published September 17, 2002

SCOUTING REPORT: Everything may not be perfect, evidenced by the weekend scuffle between pitcher Orlando Hernandez and catcher Jorge Posada, but the Yankees are headed toward a fifth straight AL East championship and a shot at another World Series title.

The Yankees lead the majors in runs scored (their 841 are 226 more than the Rays) and could have five players finish with more than 100 RBIs: Jason Giambi, Posada, Alfonso Soriano, Robin Ventura and Bernie Williams. The only other team in major-league history to do that was the 1936 Yankees.

Soriano, who has a .300 average, 38 homers, 95 RBIs and 40 steals, is making a strong bid for league MVP honors as well as history: a 40-40 season and the major-league record for home runs by a second baseman (42 by Rogers Hornsby and Davey Johnson).

Not only do the Yankees score and hit the ball out of the park (215 home runs), they do a pretty good job shutting down the other team. Their overall ERA of 4.02 is fourth in the league and the bullpen, soon to be bolstered by the return of Mariano Rivera, is doing its usual outstanding job. The Yanks are 79-1 when leading after eight.

TAMPA BAY CONNECTIONS: Rays pitchers Victor Zambrano, who starts Wednesday, was released by the Yankees as a minor-league infielder. ... Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer is a longtime Treasure Island resident and bullpen coach Rich Monteleone is a former Tampa prep star. ... Several Yankees, including David Wells and Derek Jeter, have offseason homes in the area.

ALL-TIME SERIES: The Yankees have won 10 of 12 this season, including two three-game sweeps, and have outscored the Rays 84-37. Overall, the Yankees hold a 48-19 advantage and are 22-12 at the Trop.

WHO'S HOT: Giambi hit .359 on the 14-game homestand and has an overall on-base percentage of .435.

WHO'S NOT: Ventura is batting .095 over the past 10 days and has made 23 errors.