Francisco Cervelli

The New York Yankees have scratched catcher Russell Martin from the starting lineup because of a sore left big toe. Martin was originally slated to bat sixth against the Oakland Athletics on Monday. But the team announced about an hour before first pitch that he is hurt and will be replaced by Francisco Cervelli in the lineup. Martin has started 44 of New York’s first 51 games this season. He is hitting .253 with nine homers and 26 RBIs.

Ivan Nova pitched himself into trouble and he couldn't wriggle his way out. Nova allowed six hits and five runs in 2 2-3 innings of the New York Yankees' 6-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. "I thought he got in bad counts.That was the difference," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "When he got behind, they hit it. We talk about the importance of being able to pitch ahead, and I think that's why we talk about it. "He kind of lost command of the fastball and he got behind and when he had to throw a strike they didn't miss it," Girardi added.

Five-time All-Star catcher Jorge Posada went behind the plate for the first time since the final game of last season after New York Yankees starter Russell Martin was injured Saturday night against the Los Angeles Angels. Posada, limited by the Yankees to first base and designated hitter duty all year, replaced Martin in the third inning after he was hit in his right hand by a foul tip. Posada then threw out Howie Kendrick, who tried to steal second. Martin got the start because Francisco Cervelli was a late scratch for the second straight night.

Yankees backup catcher Francisco Cervelli is out indefinitely with a concussion. Cervelli was examined Monday in New York by Dr. Kirk Roberts, a neurologist specializing in concussion syndromes. The catcher was diagnosed with a concussion but MRI results were negative, the Yankees said. Cervelli is resting at home and there is no immediate timetable for his return. All of his baseball-related activities have been suspended, the team said. Banged up Thursday in a home-plate collision with Baltimore's Nick Markakis, Cervelli is batting .266 with four homers and 22 RBIs.

Yankees backup catcher Francisco Cervelli is out indefinitely with a concussion. Cervelli was examined Monday in New York by Dr. Kirk Roberts, a neurologist specializing in concussion syndromes. The catcher was diagnosed with a concussion but MRI results were negative, the Yankees said. Cervelli is resting at home and there is no immediate timetable for his return. All of his baseball-related activities have been suspended, the team said. Banged up Thursday in a home-plate collision with Baltimore's Nick Markakis, Cervelli is batting .266 with four homers and 22 RBIs.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Andy Pettitte threw eight sharp innings, Robinson Cano had four hits, and Nick Swisher and No. 9 hitter Francisco Cervelli each drove in two runs for the New York Yankees in a 7-1 victory over the Angels yesterday in Anaheim, Calif. Pettitte (3-0) allowed six hits, struck out eight, and walked none. The two-time All-Star gave up his only run — after getting staked to a 6-0 lead — on Torii Hunter’s sacrifice fly in the sixth. It was the lefthander’s 30th regular-season start against the Angels, the team he beat in the Yankees’ home opener with six scoreless innings April 13. ...

Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia knows how it appeared. New York's Francisco Cervelli homers, claps his hands demonstratively while crossing the plate and gets plunked in his very next at-bat. It was not, Saltalamacchia said, intentional. The Red Sox were much more concerned with the 16 runners left on base than Cervelli's antics in a 5-2 loss to the Yankees. "We had no intent on hitting him. It just happened that way," Saltalamacchia said. "I understand how it can look bad. " Saltalamacchia stayed face-to-face with Cervelli as he threatened to charge Boston...

Clapping. Clapping . Of all the idiotic debates over baseball's unwritten rules, this one may not only take the cake, but devour it whole. So, Francisco Cervelli claps after hitting a home run off John Lackey. That's a big deal? As far as showing up the pitcher, it's not exactly standing at home plate admiring the flight of the ball. That's reserved for David Ortiz. Yet Lackey took enough offense to the egregious act to plunk the Yankees catcher later in the game, eventually leading to a seventh-inning run that pushed New York's lead to 5-2, a...

CLEVELAND — Alex Rodriguez drove in three runs without hitting his 600th homer and the New York Yankees used a seven-run seventh inning to beat the Indians, 11-4, last night. Dustin Moseley (1-0) won his first start, allowing a run and four hits over six innings as New York took three of four in a lopsided series that saw A-Rod extend his homerless streak to seven games. Robinson Cano connected for his 20th homer just after Rodriguez grounded out in the seventh. That started a string of nine straight Yankees reaching safely with two outs.

NEW YORK — A.J. Burnett got on the mound and plunked Greg Golson on an arm. Then he whacked Austin Kearns. Burnett’s simulated game was a hit — twice — yesterday as he prepared for his start against Texas in the American League Championship Series. “It’s different when they’re our guys. They know I didn’t mean to do it. But it’s still not a good feeling,’’ the struggling starter said. Burnett was dropped from the Yankees’ rotation for the ALDS against Minnesota.

Five-time All-Star catcher Jorge Posada went behind the plate for the first time since the final game of last season after New York Yankees starter Russell Martin was injured Saturday night against the Los Angeles Angels. Posada, limited by the Yankees to first base and designated hitter duty all year, replaced Martin in the third inning after he was hit in his right hand by a foul tip. Posada then threw out Howie Kendrick, who tried to steal second. Martin got the start because Francisco Cervelli was a late scratch for the second straight night.

When New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi needed an emergency catcher, he looked down the bench and turned to someone who had plenty of experience — five-time All-Star Jorge Posada. A rash of injuries forced Girardi to field a lineup that didn't put up much resistance against Los Angeles Angels right-hander Dan Haren, who beat New York 6-0 Sunday night. Haren tossed a four-hitter for his fifth career shutout and retired 18 straight batters to top the Yankees and CC Sabathia. In the second inning, catcher Russell Martin took a foul tip off the bat of Maicer...

Dan Haren pitched a four-hitter for his fifth career shutout and retired 18 straight batters as the Los Angeles Angels climbed within 1 ½ games of the AL West lead with a 6-0 victory over CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees on Saturday night. Haren (15-8) went the distance for the 15th time in 253 career starts, striking out seven and walking none for the 13th time this season. He threw 113 pitches. The three-time All-Star right-hander held the AL East leaders to a pair of eighth-inning singles after giving up a ground-rule double to Derek Jeter on his...

Brian Matusz is out of Baltimore's rotation for the foreseeable future. Matusz's disappointing season took another downward turn Tuesday when Orioles manager Buck Showalter said there were no immediate plans to give the left-hander another start. Matusz, once among baseball's brightest prospects, was knocked around by the New York Yankees on Monday, getting a no-decision in a game the Orioles eventually lost 11-10. "I don't think Brian is at a point where he can defend himself," Showalter said.

The rain came to Yankee Stadium in droves. The fans? Not so much. About 1,000 spectators were in the stands Tuesday night when the game between the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees started at 11:08 p.m. after a rain delay of 4 hours, 3 minutes. The crowd had dwindled to maybe 500 or so by the sixth inning when Matt Wieters hit a two-run homer for Baltimore that made it 2-all. Fans were allowed to move down to the expensive seats — there was no announcement about that over the public-address system, instead they were told individually.

Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia knows how it appeared. New York's Francisco Cervelli homers, claps his hands demonstratively while crossing the plate and gets plunked in his very next at-bat. It was not, Saltalamacchia said, intentional. The Red Sox were much more concerned with the 16 runners left on base than Cervelli's antics in a 5-2 loss to the Yankees. "We had no intent on hitting him. It just happened that way," Saltalamacchia said. "I understand how it can look bad. " Saltalamacchia stayed face-to-face with Cervelli as he threatened to charge Boston...

Jose Bautista hit a two-run homer, then added a tiebreaking solo drive in the eighth inning for his 40th of the season, and the Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees, 3-2, last night in Toronto. It was the sixth multihomer game of the season for Bautista, who leads the majors in home runs. He’s the first Toronto player to reach the 40-homer plateau since Carlos Delgado hit 42 in 2003. Toronto has a major league-leading 190 home runs this season, including 105 at home. Twenty-five of Bautista’s homers have come at Rogers Centre.

The rain came to Yankee Stadium in droves. The fans? Not so much. About 1,000 spectators were in the stands Tuesday night when the game between the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees started at 11:08 p.m. after a rain delay of 4 hours, 3 minutes. The crowd had dwindled to maybe 500 or so by the sixth inning when Matt Wieters hit a two-run homer for Baltimore that made it 2-all. Fans were allowed to move down to the expensive seats — there was no announcement about that over the public-address system, instead they were told individually.

Clapping. Clapping . Of all the idiotic debates over baseball's unwritten rules, this one may not only take the cake, but devour it whole. So, Francisco Cervelli claps after hitting a home run off John Lackey. That's a big deal? As far as showing up the pitcher, it's not exactly standing at home plate admiring the flight of the ball. That's reserved for David Ortiz. Yet Lackey took enough offense to the egregious act to plunk the Yankees catcher later in the game, eventually leading to a seventh-inning run that pushed New York's lead to 5-2, a score that would...

Barring a collapse, both teams will be in the playoffs a month from now, heading for what seems like an inevitable clash in the American League Championship Series. But that drained not an ounce of passion from last night's meeting between the Red Sox and Yankees at Fenway Park. In a game that lasted a few seconds short of four hours and featured an excitable backup catcher nearly sparking a brawl, the Yankees came away with a 5-2 victory before a crowd of 37,773. "It doesn't matter what the situation is, this is a big rivalry," Sox left fielder Carl Crawford said.