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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The New York Yankees gave Mariano Rivera
the night off and it cost them.
Carlos Febles doubled home the tying run off Mike Stanton and
scored on Johnny Damon's fourth single of the night as the Kansas City Royals rallied in the ninth inning to beat the Yankees 3-2
Wednesday night.
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Knoblauch makes first
appearance since Aug. 3
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Yankees second baseman Chuck
Knoblauch was back in the starting lineup Wednesday night, playing
seven innings in the field in a 3-2 loss to the Royals.
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| Knoblauch |
It was the first action in more than a month for Knoblauch, who
had been out since Aug. 3 with tendinitis in his right elbow.
"I'm on the right track," he said.
Knoblauch came off the disabled list Friday. It was his first
trip to the DL in a 10-year career.
On Wednesday, he went 0-for-4 in the leadoff spot and played errorless
ball in the field, with two assists and one putout, before Jose
Vizcaino entered as a defensive replacement in the eighth.
"His legs got a little tired," Yankees manager Joe Torre said.
"He's not quite in game shape yet."
-- Associated Press
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Yankees manager Joe Torre said "nothing's wrong" with Rivera.
"We just wanted to give him the extra day off," Torre said.
"He's been working hard."
Rivera, who has converted 32 of 37 save chances, has been less
effective than usual lately. Left-handed hitters, who frequently
watch their bats break on his inside pitches, have been able to
bloop balls over the infield.
Stanton (2-3) has been completely ineffective, incurring the
wrath of New York owner George Steinbrenner. Stanton has blown his
last four save chances, this time costing the Yankees a chance to
increase their AL East lead to a season-high seven games over
second-place Boston.
"It can't get a whole lot worse," Stanton said. "Joe shows
confidence in putting me out in the ninth inning, and I can't come
through. I failed. There's no excuse. It just can't keep going like
this."
With the Yankees leading 2-1 and one out in the ninth,
pinch-hitter Dave McCarty singled. Pinch-runner Luis Ordaz scored
on Febles' double, and Damon followed with the game-winning single
to center.
Damon said the Royals didn't take Torre's decision to send out
Stanton as a lack of respect for them.
"Rivera probably just needed the night off, and he deserves
it," Damon said. "He's the best closer in baseball. They've got a
comfortable enough lead over Boston. Stanton would be the 'A' guy
on a lot of teams."
|  | | Orlando Hernandez took a shutout into the eighth inning, then watched as Mike Stanton lost the game in the ninth. |
Brian Meadows (4-2) pitched his second complete game of the
season for the Royals. He gave up nine hits, struck out three and
walked one.
Chuck Knoblauch returned to the Yankees lineup and went 0-for-4
in his first game since going on the disabled list Aug. 3 with
tendinitis in his right elbow. The second baseman was mistake-free
recording two assists in a solid performance.
New York's Orlando Hernandez pitched shutout ball into the
eighth inning, helping himself by starting two double plays. The
blown save by Stanton denied El Duque his fifth straight win.
Joe Randa hit into both of the double plays started by
Hernandez, who also had two other assists on ground balls back to
the mound.
The first double play came in the fourth inning, and the second
came in the eighth with runners on first and third and the Royals
trailing 2-1.
Meadows retired nine of his first 10 batters. But Derek Jeter
led off the Yankees fourth with a homer to left-center field, and
Paul O'Neill bounced a ball off the top of the left-field bullpen
gate for a 2-0 lead with one out in the sixth.
"I avoided the big inning,and I kept the team in the game,"
said Meadows, acquired from San Diego on July 31. "That's all I
wanted to do."
Jermaine Dye went 2-for-4 and started Kansas City's rally with
an RBI single in the eighth, cutting New York's lead to 2-1.
Game notes
Yankees RHP David Cone will miss his scheduled start on
Sunday after separating his left shoulder in the third inning of
Tuesday's 10-5 win over Kansas City. An MRI exam on Wednesday
revealed minimal bruising, Cone said. Manager Joe Torre said he
would name Sunday's starter on Thursday. ... Damon is batting .545
(12-for-22) against Hernandez. ... The Royals are 34-34 at home
after a 14-4 start. ... Carlos Beltran, in his second start since
returning Monday from the disabled list, struck out four times and
was booed. ... The Yankees are still 68-4 when leading after eight
innings.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
NY Yankees Clubhouse
Kansas City Clubhouse
Cone to miss at least one start with separated shoulder
Williams to miss 4-6 games with sore ribs; Mendoza close
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