Alex Rodriguez

Here are the lineups: RED SOX (4-9) Aviles SS Sweeney RF Pedroia 2B Gonzalez 1B Ortiz DH Youkilis 3B Saltalamacchia C Ross CF McDonald LF Pitching: LHP Felix Doubront (0-0, 5.40) YANKEES (8-6 Jeter DH Swisher RF Cano 2B Rodriguez 3B Teixeira 1B, Granderson CF Jones LF Martin C Nunez SS Pitching: RHP Freddy Garcia (0-1, 6.97) Game time: 4:05 p.m. sw TV/Radio: FOX / WEEI, WCBS Song of the Day: "Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day. Yankees vs. Doubront: Martin 0-3,...

On Tuesday night, after another mediocre game at the plate, Alex Rodriguez insisted he was ready to go on a tear. He knew what he was talking about. A-Rod gave Will Smith a rude welcome to the major leagues Wednesday night, hitting two homers off the rookie to back another strong start for Andy Pettitte and lead the New York Yankees over the Kansas City Royals 8-3. "I said it with conviction not because it was going to sound good here in my locker but because I felt it," Rodriguez said.

By Tony Massarotti, Boston.com Columnist If the Red Sox are feeling good about themselves in the wake of a stretch during which they have gone 10-3, that is certainly a good thing. If the Red Sox are more unified now than they were at the beginning of the season, that is a good thing, too. And if the Red Sox are using the media and criticism as a rallying cause, that is also excellent news. But for a team that has not had a winning record at any point this season, the Red Sox on Wednesday seemed a touch beyond their skis.

By Tony Massarotti, Boston.com Columnist If the Red Sox are feeling good about themselves in the wake of a stretch during which they have gone 10-3, that is certainly a good thing. If the Red Sox are more unified now than they were at the beginning of the season, that is a good thing, too. And if the Red Sox are using the media and criticism as a rallying cause, that is also excellent news. But for a team that has not had a winning record at any point this season, the Red Sox on Wednesday seemed a touch beyond their skis.

Johnny Cueto pitched effectively into the eighth inning, Ryan Ludwick delivered two big hits and the Cincinnati Reds closed out their extended visit to New York by beating the Yankees 5-2 Sunday. The Reds rallied late against CC Sabathia, sending the Yankees to their fifth loss in six games. Aroldis Chapman closed it out as Cincinnati took two of three at Yankee Stadium, right after splitting a pair at Citi Field against the Mets. Cueto (5-1) gave up a two-run homer to Raul Ibanez in the sixth.

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff It sounds like Derek Jeter (right knee) will be able to play against the Red Sox after missing the final two games of the series in Baltimore. But Alex Rodriguez (sprained left thumb) may be out. Rodriguez was sent back to New York today to have his thumb examined by a specialist and was labeled "questionable" by manager Joe Girardi for the first game of the series. There seems to be a good chance he may not play at all in the series. Rodriguez was out from July 8 to Aug. 20 because of knee surgery.

With regard to the ongoing saga of the Boston Red Sox and their futile pursuit of one lousy little World Series triumph, I have always been of the opinion that it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. This time, I'm not so sure. Who among us needed this ? I speak not as an embittered scribe who boldly predicted the Red Sox over the Yankees in five (while hinting that a sweep would not be inconceivable), but as a baseball-loving citizen of Greater Boston who is tired of the nonsense.

■Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was scratched from the lineup because of a sprained left thumb, an injury he sustained Sunday fielding a grounder in his first game back from knee surgery. X-rays were negative. ■Orioles center fielder Adam Jones left the game against the Twins in the second inning with an undisclosed illness. He started and struck out before being replaced by Matt Angle. ■ The Nationals pushed back the start of their game against the Diamondbacks by 20 minutes to check the stadium for damage after the earthquake.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi sat in the interview room wearing a pinstriped shirt. This one, however, was of the dress variety with a collar. There was no interlocking NY of the Yankees jersey. And with good reason: No game to play Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. Five days after the season ended too soon for an organization determined to win the World Series every year, Girardi cited "luck" 10 times as one of the reasons the offense repeatedly failed to get big hits from sluggers Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher throughout the five-game, first-round playoff loss against...

Mark Teixeira hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the seventh inning, Curtis Granderson also connected, and the New York Yankees got three hits from Alex Rodriguez in an 8-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night. It was the fourth win in five games for the Yankees, who improved to 4-0 at Camden Yards this season. Teixeira had five hits in his previous 33 at-bats and was hitting .220 when he drove a 1-2 pitch from former Yankee Luis Ayala (1-1) into the right-field seats.

Good morning. Here is a preview of today's game: RED SOX (21-22) Aviles SS Pedroia 2B Ortiz DH Gonzalez RF Youkilis 1B Middlebrooks 3B Nava LF Podsednik CF Shoppach C Pitching: RHP Daniel Bard (3-5, 4.85) ORIOLES (28-16) Avery LF Andino SS Markakis RF Jones CF Davis 1B Betemit 3B Johnson DH Flaherty 2B Exposito C Pitching: RHP Jake Arrieta (2-4, 4.72) Game time: 12:35 p.m. TV/Radio: NESN / WEEI Orioles vs. Bard: Markakis 3-11, Jones 2-8, Wieters 2-8, Johnson 0-2, Andino 0-3,...

Felipe Paulino is becoming quite the regular at blanking the New York Yankees. Pitching out of trouble with ease, Paulino pitched shutout ball against the Yankees for the second time in 17 days. Mike Moustakas and Jeff Francoeur backed him with two-run homers, leading the Kansas City Royals to a 6-0 win Monday night in the opener of a nine-game trip. "Paulino, since he's been back, has been dynamite," Royals manager Ned Yost said. After starting the season on the disabled list due to a strained right forearm, Paulino allowed four hits over six...

With every out the New York Yankees made and every run they gave up, the boos from the sparse crowd got louder. New York's 6-0 defeat to the Kansas City Royals on a misty, dreary Monday night was the Yankees' sixth loss in seven games, dropping them into last place in the AL East this late in the season for the first time since 2008. "At times, it looks like there's 20 people out there playing defense," Yankees captain Derek Jeter said. "It happens every year. It happens to every team.

Dropped as low as seventh in the batting order for the first time in eight years, Mark Teixeira didn't think it would make much a difference on what pitches he'll see. "I'm still Mark Teixeira," the New York Yankees first baseman said. "I still put up some pretty good numbers in my career, so I don't think they're going to just start underhanding it to me. I wish they would, but I don't think that's going to happen. " Bothered by coughing and a bronchial illness since the first week of the season, the two-time All-Star is batting .226 — 54 points...

Johnny Cueto pitched effectively into the eighth inning, Ryan Ludwick delivered two big hits and the Cincinnati Reds closed out their extended visit to New York by beating the Yankees 5-2 Sunday. The Reds rallied late against CC Sabathia, sending the Yankees to their fifth loss in six games. Aroldis Chapman closed it out as Cincinnati took two of three at Yankee Stadium, right after splitting a pair at Citi Field against the Mets. Cueto (5-1) gave up a two-run homer to Raul Ibanez in the sixth.

Mark Teixeira hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the seventh inning, Curtis Granderson also connected, and the New York Yankees got three hits from Alex Rodriguez in an 8-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night. It was the fourth win in five games for the Yankees, who improved to 4-0 at Camden Yards this season. Teixeira had five hits in his previous 33 at-bats and was hitting .220 when he drove a 1-2 pitch from former Yankee Luis Ayala (1-1) into the right-field seats.

The unlikely comeback began rather innocently, with a pair of hits that didn't make it out of the infield. Then came two long drives, providing the Orioles with an exclamation point on a successful homestand and a wave of momentum heading into Yankee Stadium. Wilson Betemit hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning after Matt Wieters doubled in two runs off closer Grant Balfour, and Baltimore rallied to a 5-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics Sunday. The victory concluded a 5-1 homestand.

Alex Rodriguez has been scratched from the Yankees' lineup Tuesday night because of a jammed left thumb sustained two days ago, his first game back from knee surgery. Rodriguez was originally set to bat fourth for New York in the opener of a three-game series against Oakland. But after cutting short his early batting practice he decided it was too sore to play. A-Rod said he hurt himself fielding a grounder at Minnesota Sunday, his first game since going on the DL July 7 for a knee injury.

Raul Ibanez hit a go-ahead, three-run homer off former Seattle teammate Felix Hernandez with two outs in the sixth inning, Robinson Cano had four hits, and the Yankees overcame a home run by Jesus Montero to beat the Mariners, 6-2, Friday night in New York. Hernandez (3-2) lost for the first time at new Yankee Stadium, where the 2010 AL Cy Young Award winner had allowed just one earned run in 24 innings coming in. Hiroki Kuroda (3-4) improved to 3-1 at home, allowing a solo homer to Dustin Ackley leading off the game and another in the sixth to Montero, acquired by the Mariners in the...

CC Sabathia twirled on the mound, gave a shout and violently punched the air. Far from a must-win, it certainly was a welcomed one for the New York Yankees and their ace. Sabathia outpitched David Price for the first time in six career matchups between the All-Star lefties, Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson homered and the Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 Thursday night. "CC seems to be the big guy right now," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. Sabathia (5-0)