(BRONX, NY)  There were a few tense moments in the press box before Tuesday’s World Series opener, as the rain seemed to intensify the closer it got to game-time.  As if on cue, at about 4:00 PM, the precipitation slowed, then stopped.  A few moments later, the sun shone on Yankee Stadium.  It continued to shine long after Apollo’s chariot had completed its journey – on the Phillies.

There were some that questioned whether the new Olympus would be as intimidating to opponents as the palace it replaced.  At least for one night, the Phillies proved them right, as Chase Utley provided the thunder of Hephaestus, and Cliff Lee delivered the lightning of Zeus in a 6-1 win over the AL champs.

Twice, Yankees’ ace CC Sabathia grooved a fastball over the heart of the plate to Utley, and twice, the Phillies’ All-Star second baseman made him pay.  It was all the offense the Phillies would need, and gave the team a critical 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Fall Classic.

The last six teams to win Game 1 – and 10 of the last 11 – have all gone on to win the World Series.

***

Hard to believe the Phillies waited until Utley was 26 to give him a full-time job.

Utley shared second base with Placido Polanco for the first two seasons of his career.  But in 2005, a new manager named Charley Manuel, awarded him the starting second base job after a solid spring training.

He finished his first season as a full-time player with a .291 average, 39 doubles, 28 homers and 105 RBIs.  He’s put up the best numbers of any second baseman in baseball over the last five seasons, and is a player, said Fox broadcaster Tim McCarver, who is a “gamer”, which he considers a compliment of the highest order.  From a guy that played with Joe Morgan and Pete Rose, that’s quite a call-out.

“He had a good night tonight,” said a deadpan Charlie Manuel.  “He’s got real quick hands … he’s got a good cut, and very good to coach.”

Utley went just 4-for-19 in the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers.  But he took advantage of some early command issues by Sabathia, who was otherwise solid for seven innings.

Lee, on the other hand, was brilliant, striking out 10 and allowing just one unearned run in a complete game win.  He was sharp from the first pitch, continuing what has been an incredible run in a Phillies’ uniform.

When Ruben Amaro Jr. finally told then-Toronto GM J.P. Riccardi that his asking price for Roy Halladay was too high, he set his sights upon another Cy Young Award winner.  When he did finally acquired Lee from the Indians, he did so without relinquishing either his top prospect (Kyle Drabek) or his impressive left-handed rookie pitcher (J.A. Happ).

***

Pedro Martinez will start Game 2 for the Phillies on Thursday, coming off a stellar performance in the NLCS against the Dodgers, throwing seven scores innings in an eventual  defeat to the Dodgers, 2-1.

The veteran right-hander provided the Phillies with some solid pitching down the stretch, going 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA in nine starts.   In 12 career postseason starts, Martinez is 6-2 with a 3.13 ERA.  However, at old Yankee Stadium, he went 0-2 with a 6.28 ERA in three postseason games, two of which were starts.

And general manager Omar Minaya – or whomever is in his role – will have to answer them one by one.

John Maine, though, may have made the team’s job just a little easier after his 7-inning, 5-hit, 1-run, and over 100-pitch performance against the Houston Astros. The outing proves he is fully healthy from and back from his shoulder woes which kept him out for almost three months this season.

“I think you need to remain optimistic,” said manager Jerry Manuel. “He has shown improvement since his time back. He has been getting a lot of ground balls which means he is getting life on his pitches, which has been his trademark. When you see that against the one of the better hitting lineups in the National League, it gives us a lot of hope.”

Hope is what the Mets need as they head into this crossroads off-season. If you look at the Mets staff, it is pretty much Johan Santana and lots of prayer. Yet, a healthy Maine may have saved Minaya a novena or two.

There’s no doubt the Mets will need another pitcher, no matter how good Maine plays. After Santana, the drop-off is just that large. But a healthy righthander will take pressure off Oliver Perez and Mike Pelfrey on the back-end. And if the team goes out and gets, say a Roy Holladay or some other 1A to compliment their ace, they still will need a guy like Maine as a No. 3.

“I want to go out and be consistent,” Maine said. “I am not going to win 20 games, but I want to be a guy who goes out there and gives the team a chance to win everyday.”

If Maine performs like he did tonight, then he will. The pitcher came in with a strong slider which complimented his fastball. When he does that, the righty becomes very hard to hit.

Yet, all of this will happen next year. The season is over, but Maine now has peace of mind, because he can go into this off-season knowing he’s fully healthy.

“I think I am feeling fine the last few starts,” he said. “I am feeling fine. I had some questions from this year and now pitching answers them.”

And with that, one off-season Mets question is now answered.

Francia smacked Southern Maryland’s Mac Suzuki’s eight-inning fastball into centerfield for a two-out, two-run single. Ray Navarrete followed with RBI single to left to help the Ducks avoid elimination with a 7-4 victory in Game 3 of the Liberty Division Championship Series. The Ducks still trail the best-of-five set, 2-1, but will look to pull even against the Blue Crabs  Sunday.

Francia had been 0-13 in the series before pouncing on Suzuki’s offering. His single scored George Lombard and Johnny Hernandez to break a 4-all tie and send most of the 4,739 at Citibank Park into a frenzy. The Ducks will also play Game 4 at home and again in the elimination game Tuesday if necessary.

“I was looking fastball,” Francia said. “He finally threw it. I was looking for a fastball inside and [looking] to keep my hands inside the ball. I did that and I got the hit.”

Francia’s single keyed the Ducks’ four-run eighth inning that erased Southern Maryland’s one-run lead. It also snapped a 10-game postseason losing streak as the Ducks won a playoff game for the first time since 2005. The base hit allowed Francia a chance at redemption.

“I was trying to do too much the last few games,” Francia said. “I wasn’t seeing the ball very good.”

Francia said he changed his approach against Suzuki, who closed out the Blue Crabs’ two wins in Southern Maryland to start the series.

“I was relaxed and I said to myself, ‘this is it right here. This is going to be a big at-bat for me,’” he said.

The Ducks were four outs away from getting knocked out of the Atlantic League playoff’s first-round for the fifth consecutive season. Southern Maryland entrusted former major leaguer Franklyn Gracesqui to bridge the gap to Suzuki. But the ex-Marlins’ lefthander walked Gonzalez to lead off the inning before allowing a base hit. Johnny Hernandez smacked another single to left to plate Raul Gonzalez with the tying run.

Alex Prieto tried to sacrifice the runners with a bunt yet reached on a single when the Blue Crabs couldn’t make the play. That ended Gracesqui’s evening after he failed to retire all four batters he faced. The southpaw took the loss in giving up four runs.

Suzuki nearly escaped the bases-loaded, no-out jam with the tie intact. The right-hander struck out Rob Sandora and forced ninth-hitting Matt Cavagnaro to pop out before Francia came through.

“It’s going to give him a huge boost,” manager Gary Carter said about Francia’s confidence.

Levittown native Randy Leek struggled at the start, allowing Southern Maryland to score twice in the first inning. Travis Garcia lined the left-hander’s pitch into left for a RBI single to open the scoring before Jeremy Owens added a sacrifice fly.

The Ducks battled back thanks to Cavagnaro’s contributions. The Bay Shore native hit a home run in Game 2 and added a RBI single in the second and a sacrifice fly in the fourth to help the Ducks tie the game and ignite a struggling lineup from the bottom of the order.

Navarrete, the Ducks MVP who set seven offensive franchise record this season, drilled his first postseason home run this year to put the home team ahead, 3-2, in the fifth.

Carter left Leek, who pitched 6 2/3 innings of five-hit ball, in the game to start the seventh and John Ramistella pulled a one-out solo home run to left to tie it. Southern Maryland took the 4-3 lead when Cesar Nicolas drove in Garcia with a RBI single through the left side off Ducks’ reliever Jim Brower. Garcia had reached on an error at third with two outs, ending Leek’s outing one batter before Garcia scored the unearned run.

“There’s no question Randy has been outstanding at home,” Carter said regarding Leek. “We knew coming back to our home ballpark and having the ball in his hands would be a plus for us.”

The Ducks completed the comeback, something it failed to do in one-run losses in the first two games. Carter said the Ducks could benefit from the momentum swing and even mentioned his role on another champion club New Yorkers remember fondly.

“We know we can’t give in,” Carter said. “If we’re going to be the cardiac kids, like a reminder [of] 1986, then that’s what it’s going to have to take.”

Although Parnell says it’s “over thinking” there may be more to it. This is a young pitcher, the Mets are very high on and when he sits around all week, the pressure mounts.

“It’s something I have to do with myself,” Parnell said. “I need to go out there and have some fun. Over the past few weeks, the game hasn’t been fun for me.”

Tonight, though, Parnell had fun with the Cubs, as he was able to pitch out of jams, while maintaining a very fragile 1-0 lead thanks to Corey Sullivan’s second inning homer. He was getting his breaking pitches over, while able to spot his 97 m.p.h. Fastball. That’s what he needs to be successful.

Hopefully, this is the start of something big for Parnell, who really has struggled over the past month. Right now, the Mets are in a situation where they can evaluate their players. Next season, they probably will need two starters if John Maine, who could be looking at $4 million to $5 million in arbitration is non-tendered. That means, Parnell may be right in line for a spot.

Also, as we saw this season, pitching is fragile, and there’s always going to be room for a starter. If Parnell can make it through these final weeks not looking like a batting practice pitcher, then we might have something here, otherwise, he may pitch his way out of the Mets plans.

With today’s post-Madoff Mets, there’s probably going to be room for a rookie in the rotation next year. Besides Parnell, they Mets will also look at Jon Niese, who is coming back from his hamstring injury, and Brad Holt will also get a long look in Spring Training. But it’s probably unlikely the team will carry two rookies on the staff as they will probably try to either sign or trade for a veteran presence to go with Johan Santana.

So Parnell has some work to do. These next four or five starts of his could be the key for him to secure a spot in 2010. If the young righthander, who says he prefers starting, doesn’t come through, it might mean back to the bullpen or worse – a trip to Buffalo.

First he has his next start – probably on Thursday against the Marlins. There Parnell can prove he can pitch to end a homestand, not just to open one.

It did not matter that the Mets lost another game Thursday evening at Citi Field, 3-2 to the Atlanta Braves. It did not matter that they lost two of three games to Atlanta. What once was a great divisional rivalry between the two teams is no more. The Braves are in contention and the Mets are not, losing their 65^th game of the season.

Sheffield was dressed and out of the ballpark moments after the last pitch. Manuel would not refer to the contract dispute, but it is known Sheffield is not a part of the Mets long range plans. Manuel would not elaborate and said, “He had some issues to take care of and asked to be removed form the lineup.”

Nothing more than another bit of quiet turmoil that has surrounded the New York Mets as they quietly play out the string with 43 games remaining.  Besides Sheffield causing some turmoil, pitcher Livan Hernandez was released before the game to make room for the season debut of Billy Wagner. Hernandez was not happy and quickly left the clubhouse looking for another job after going 7-8 with a 5.47 ERA in 23 games.

Wagner would pitch a perfect eighth inning and got a rousing ovation from the Citi Field crowd, his first appearance in a game since August 2, 2008 at Houston after elbow ligament replacement surgery. “I guess you are always worried about how you are going to be perceived,” said Wagner about the ovation.

Wagner reportedly said he would waive his no trade clause and go to a contender if it can be worked out. Whether or not Wagner is being showcased, he looked good. He threw 14 pitches in the inning, nine for strikes. His fastball was clocked at 96 and struck out Reid Gorecki, got Chipper Jones to fly to right and struck out Brian McCann.

“To come back after eleven months and face these, caliber of hitters makes it better,” commented Wagner. Manuel said about his performance, “Really a big plus going forward not only for us but for his career. I would have to say he is back but be careful.”

So the game and another loss for the Mets was not the story. Neither was the otherwise seven good strong innings pitched by Johan Santana who threw 77 pitches and got the loss. Obvious that Santana, (13-9) was moved to showcase Wagner a free agent who could be traded before the August 31 waiver deadline.

“Overall I thought I had good stuff,” said Santana avoiding the issue of leaving a close game with a low pitch count. The decision was up to Manuel for Wagner to make his season debut and Santana, the professional he is, just evaluated his outing. “I was just trying to do my job,” he said.

“Johan competed and gave us a chance to win,” said Manuel. “We’re very happy with the performance he gives us all the time.” Santana has been that hard luck pitcher in this dismal Mets season. He has given up three runs in four of his last six starts and the Mets have failed to score more than two runs for him in nine of his starts this season.

Sheffield will be at Citi Field Friday evening when the Mets begin a four-game series with first place Philadelphia. But a source said the Mets will do everything they can to try Sheffield who was claimed by the Giants on waivers last week according to SI.com. That means the Mets only can release him or put him on waivers again, which means either a team claims him or he will be released.

Wagner will continue to be showcased, or there could be a change of thought about a trade if he continues to throw hard and effective like he did.

More drama to come as Pedro Martinez gets the start for the Phillies against his former team Sunday afternoon.  And with Wagner back and Sheffield unhappy, are the Mets waiving the white flag or maximizing their assets for the future?

E-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com

“He wants to play and the decision from our medical staff and my self was to stay home,” explained Minaya. Wright was hit by a Matt Cain fastball Saturday and has the usual headaches associated with a concussion.  The Mets are being cautious about Wright, their team leader, who missed one game all season and don’t want a recurrence of the Ryan Church concussion episode of last season.

Minaya has had his share of bad news all season. The injuries to his starting lineup and pitching staff have been a reason why the Mets are not in contention, and now Wright, who could miss the entire season pending on how long the recuperation takes place. “Based on the recommendations of our doctors and the specialist,” said Minaya when asked why Wright was put on the DL

The mood in the Mets clubhouse Saturday was all about the concern for Wright. It remained that way before and after the game Sunday. Luis Castillo provided the Mets with maybe the longest home run at Citi Field in a 3-2 win. With two outs in the fifth inning he hit a Jonathan Sanchez pitch to the second deck in left field, his first home run since May of 2008.

And Mike Pelfrey, perhaps is back on the right track as he provided the Mets with his best pitching effort of the season. He gave up two runs on five hits in 7/2-3 innings and struck out eight. He has allowed only four runs in three starts against the Giants but only has one win to show for it.

Francisco Rodriquez (3-4) pitched a perfect ninth inning out of the pen and got the win.  Murphy, with his first career walk-off winning hit, was the hero for now. But the Mets clubhouse had all their thoughts with Wright.

“Every time you get a W it’s a good feeling,” said Murphy, “but we all have our thoughts with David.” Jeff Francoeur opened the ninth with single deep in the hole off losing pitcher Sergio Romo (3-2) and scored on the Murphy hit after Fernando Tatis sacrificed him to second.

It was that rare type of win for the Mets who took their second game in the four-game series that concludes Monday evening.

e-mail Rich Mancuso:  Ring786@aol.com

“You deserved to win,” Carter said to Manon, who had a large ice bag strapped across his right arm.

The Ducks bullpen didn’t live up to its reputation as the team’s lone season-long strength, costing Manon a win while dealing another blow to the club’s first-half division title chances.

A rare lapse from set-up man Joe Valentine and closer Bill Simas allowed Camden to score twice in the eighth and ninth innings, capped by Brian Burgamy’s two-run homer in the last inning to move the Ducks to 22-23; the first time since May 28 the team dropped below .500.

“It’s a shame it turned out the way it did,” Carter said. “Julio pitched an outstanding game but I have enough confidence in my bullpen and I’m going to go back to them when I need them.”

Manon celebrated his 36th birthday by throwing seven scoreless innings. Fredrick Torres finally got to the former Montreal Expos pitcher in the eighth, taking him deep with one out to end his shutout bid. A single brought in Valentine, who entered with a 1.40 ERA. But a single through the right side put runners on the corners before Jon Knott ripped a RBI double off the rightfield wall to tie the score at 2.

Simas, who carried a 1.89 ERA, got the first out in the ninth before allowing a single. Burgamy entered with a .189 average and Simas allowed just one home run. Burgamy got the better of the matchup, ripping a full-count fastball to the row of advertisements beyond the rightfield wall for a crushing two-run homer. The Ducks remained 5 games behind the Liberty Division-leading Blue Crabs.

Manon made just his season’s fourth start and worked into the eighth inning for a third straight outing. Matt Cavagnaro scored twice thanks to RBIs from Estee Harris and Ray Navarrete, staking the ex-Oriole to a 2-0 lead into the late innings.

On an overcast and cool night, Manon prevented Camden from squaring the ball, inducing 15 fly ball outs. Manon said he shrugged off the loss and supports the relievers who have kept the Ducks from falling out of the division race.

“We’re all one group and we’re all trying to do our best,” Manon said. “Whatever happened out there, we’re not meaning for it to happen. It just happened, that’s the way the game is.”

Last week’s seven game road trip featured series against the league’s worst two teams. The Ducks won two of three from Bridgeport but dropped three of four against last-place York, finishing the trip 2-4. Camden is just one game above .500 and have won two of the first three games in the series, meaning the Ducks are missing opportunities to surge up the standings.

Injuries also are mounting. Randy Leek, last year’s wins leader, is still out with an oblique injury and Preston Wilson is still recovering after getting hit in the face with a pitch. The Ducks offense is sputtering, scoring just 10 runs the past five games.

“I view those games as several missed chances,” Carter said. “We needed to capitalize against Bridgeport and York. Maybe the [upcoming] All-Star break will be a blessing in disguise because our guys have been pretty banged up and we’ve been doing it with mirrors, basically.”

Laughing like a kid in a candy store, Yan moves his arms in a swinging motion in front of teammate Luis Lopez with a gloating smile from cheek to cheek.  His pearly whites gleaming, Yan moves his legs up and down in a running motion to show how he kept running at full speed towards second base, continuously laughing about the first at bat of his career.

It was June 4, 2000 when Yan became the 77^th Major Leaguer to homer in his first at-bat and the first pitcher since Don Rose of the 1972 Angels when he blasted the first pitch he saw from New York Mets pitcher Bobby Jones in an interleague matchup at Shea Stadium.  Yan became the fourth AL pitcher all-time to homer in his first at-bat.

“I didn’t realize I had hit a home run until I got to second base,” said Yan.  “When I got to second base, I asked myself, ‘What am I doing? I have to slow down.’  I felt very excited after that.”

Yan went on to win the game as well, striking out three and giving up four runs and five hits in five innings pitched.  In his only other at-bat in his major league career, Yan hit a single in 2003 as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.

His ability to split his personality from an intimidating pitcher to a jolly-minded teammate has helped Yan make his first season of Atlantic League baseball an enjoyable and successful one.

When asked about what Esteban Yan brings to the Bluefish, manager Tommy John jokes, “Weight. Girth. Smiles.”  John, now more composed after a good minute’s worth of laughing, says, “He’s just a hilarious guy.  He is always laughing in the clubhouse with the rest of the guys.”

Yan has been on a tear as of late, recording his fourth straight quality start in yesterday’s 3-2 extra innings victory over the Long Island Ducks.  On just 81 pitches, Yan allowed two earned runs on eight hits and one walk.  After giving up two runs in the first inning, Yan settled down and easily handled the Ducks lineup, the best hitting team in the Atlantic League.  Yan allowed just four hits over his last six innings.

“I’m feeling very good right now,” said Yan.  “I’m trying to do my best, and pitch as best I can to get back to the big leagues.  The only way you can do that is by pitching as much as you can.”

With the performance, Yan now has a 2.68 ERA in 47 innings pitched this season.  In his previous outing on May 29 at Southern Maryland, Yan pitched a complete game shutout on 99 pitches.  Against Lancaster on May 24, he fanned a season high eight batters in eight innings.

“He has a good fastball, maybe one of the better fastballs in this league,” said John.  “I think he would be a great closer because he is a two pitch pitcher.”

Yan has been both a starter and a reliever during his major league career.  In 217 major league games (118 starts), Yan has recorded 33 victories, 51 saves, and 553 strikeouts in 695 innings of work.

Even though he is set on being a starter for now, Yan has not shot down the opportunity of returning to the show as a reliever.

“Well, why not? I can get another opportunity to be perfect,” said Yan.

The last time baseball fans saw Yan at the highest level was in 2006 for the Cincinnati Reds, where he posted a 3.60 ERA in 14 games.  The following season, Yan played for the Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s Central League.  In Japan, Yan set the Nippon Pro Baseball record for balks in a season with 12.

“Those umpires are terrible.  They like to really key on foreign pitchers for balks.  He [umpire] tried to make me get out of games early by calling balks” said Yan.

Yan’s claim may be true, as in his 217 major league games he has only been called for two balks and hasn’t had a balk on American soil since 2002.

Now with the Bluefish, Yan is trying to catch the eyes of scouts to give him another shot at baseball’s highest level.

“To tell you the truth, but every day I had in the Major Leagues was the best moment in my life,” said Yan.

If no scouts find him, maybe Matt Groening will just put him in another episode of The Simpsons.

With another smile, Yan says about his appearance in the cartoon, “It was very nice.  It was good.”

The announced crowd of 6,411 at Citibank Park, were given the lead for good in the bottom of the seventh inning, when Johnny Hernandez launched a Jared Gothreaux (0-2) fastball over the right field fence.  The victory for Long Island (5-4) gave manager Gary Carter, his first victory at home.

“It was a nice win to come back after the tough loss last night”, said Ducks Manager Gary Carter.

The start of the game was not a positive one, as Long Island starter and Ronkonkoma native B.J. LaMura had a difficult time in the first inning.  He seemed to have trouble getting his pitches in and when he did, the Patriot bats connected.  Two runs came home as a result of a Jeff Nettles single to left field, and a Matt Hagen double that just stayed away from the third base line.

Once the first inning was over, LaMura settled in and retired 10 Patriots in a row, before Anthony Granato reached on an error in right field by Raul Gonzalez.  In five and one third innings, LaMura gave up five hits and walked two, while striking out 3.

“I thought he did real well.  I know with a lot of family here, he started tough, but he settled down after that”, said Ducks Manager Gary Carter.  “He has earned another start.”

After Somerset’s Gothreaux got through the first nine batters with out getting allowing a Long Island batter to reach base, the Ducks cut the deficit to one on a broken bat bloop single by Raul Gonzalez, scoring Ray Navarette.

Gothreaux got into another groove allowing only one more hit over the next two and two-third innings, before walking Raul Gonzalez, and then giving up the home run to Hernandez.

Joe Valentine pitched a scoreless 7^th before the Ducks took the lead, to earn his second victory of the season.  Dan Miceli pitched a hitless eighth and Bill Simas closed the game for his fourth save of the season.  For the Ducks, it gives them a chance for Carter to experience a ‘happy recap’.

“Each game is a battle”, said Carter, but knows that it is good to get some good home cooking.  “You always want to play good in front of the big home crowd.  We know that we will get 6,000 a night at home, and hopefully tomorrow, we will win the series.

A victory on a fireworks night is always fun for the fans and the players alike.  Note: There are 10 of these planned for this season.

Quacker Notes:  Who is hot?  Outfielder Johnny Hernandez, a former Cardinals farmhand, is batting .500 before tonight’s game, with 2 doubles, 2 triples and 6 runs batted in.  Now, add a home run.  Who is not?  Lew Ford, the former Minnesota Twin, has struggled so far.  He is 5 for 29 to start the season. “He may be battling himself right now”, said Carter after the game; “But he is a major leaguer that has been successful, and I believe that he will get out of it.”  Preston Wilson had his hitting streak stopped at seven games.  Ray Navarette’s streak is now at eight.

Sabathia, who signed with the Yankees in the off-season for the richest contract by a pitcher in baseball history, didn’t make it out of the 5^th inning; a familiar sight to Yankees fans during the 2008 season.  The Yankees are counting on Sabathia to eat up major innings during the year.  However, Sabathia struggled with his command from the get-go and left the game after surrendering 6 earned runs on 8 hits.  The six were the most runs he had given up in a game going back to July 25, 2008 against the Cleveland Indians (32 starts).

Opening Day saw Vice-President Joe Biden throw out the first pitch to kick of the Orioles and Yankees 2009 campaigns; a high fastball catcher Chad Moeller had to climb the ladder to get.  He is the first sitting vice-president in history to do so at Camden Yard.  Afterward, the O’s took the field and Derek Jeter strode to the plate to face Baltimore starter Jeremy Guthrie.  Jeter got the Yankees first hit, singling up the middle, but was left stranded to end the inning.

Sabathia took the mound and immediately had trouble locating his pitches, especially his fastball.  He gave up a leadoff single to Brian Roberts and later uncorked two wild pitches, although the second one should have been handled by catcher Jorge Posada.  The two wild pitches equaled the amount he threw in 253 innings last year.  However, Sabathia was able to keep Baltimore off the boards for the first two frames.

In the third the Yankees took a 1-0 lead on a manufactured run, when Brett Gardner singled to left, and later scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Johnny Damon.

That’s when the Orioles went to work on Sabathia.

Baltimore scored three runs in the bottom of the inning when César Izturis singled, Roberts walked, Adam Jones tripled and Nick Markakis hit a sacrifice fly to score Jones.

The Orioles scored 3 more runs off Sabathia in the 5^th when Roberts doubled, and scored after Jones and Markakis hit infield singles. Third baseman Melvin Mora hit another infield single getting Jones to third and moving Markakis up 90 feet.  Sabathia intentionally walked Ty Wigginton to load the bases.   Jones scored on a groundout by Aubrey Huff with Markakis advancing to third.  Sabathia’s afternoon ended after he walked Luke Scott force in a run and reload the bases.

The Yankees bullpen took a beating as well.  After Jonathan Albaladejo threw a scoreless 1-1/3 innings in relief of Sabathia the Orioles tagged relievers Phil Coke and Brian Bruney for two runs each, capped by Izturis’ home run off Coke in the 8^th.

The Yankees other big time signee Mark Teixeira had a rough afternoon also.  Teixeira, who went 0-for-4 with walk, stranded four, including two runners on in the 8^th after the Yankees had cut the Orioles lead to 6-5 in the seventh.

After the game, Teixeira remarked to reporters about his poor showing.

“I didn’t get it done there,” he said, referring to his groundout with runners at the corners and two outs.

Teixeira, who was born and raised in Maryland approximately 30 minutes south of Baltimore, was lustily booed by the hometown crowd every time his name was announced at the plate or when he made a play on the field.

After the game, Sabathia summed up his afternoon this way.

“I was terrible. I battled from the first inning on,” he told reporters.  “At some point I’m usually able to find it. Today was just one of those days where I didn’t. When I have one of those days, this is the result you get.”

Yankee manager Joe Girardi took the game in stride.

“I guess we can’t go undefeated,” Girardi said. “Yeah, it’s one game. We didn’t execute today.”

Even with the loss the Yankees can point to some positives.  Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui homered and Jeter and Damon went 3-for-5 and 2-for-3 respectively at the top of the order.  So far Girardi’s flip-flopping of the Yankees shortstop and left fielder in the leadoff and No. 2 spot in the order is paying off.

The Yankees and Orioles have Tuesday off before battling again on Wednesday and Thursday to complete their 3-game series.

Notes: Sabathia didn’t record a strikeout for only the 5^th time in 253 career starts and Nick Swisher recorded his first official hit a Yankee by getting a pinch-hit double in the 8^th inning.