On the Yankees beat

Good evening everyone, welcome to the Yankees' live game blog for the 145th time this season. I'm Chris Mascaro and I'll be here all night taking you through the middle contest of a three-game set between the Yankees (76-68) and the Angels (87-56) in Anaheim.

The Angels, winners of five straight, lead second-place Texas by 17.5 games in the AL West with 19 games to play. So Anaheim can clinch at least a share of the division title this evening with a win, and can take it outright with a win and a Texas loss in Seattle.

If last night's debacle is any indication of what's to come in the series, Anaheim will be popping champagne in the locker room by the end of the night.

The Yankees will try to avoid further embarrassment by sending 25-year old Alfredo Aceves (0-0, 1.29 ERA) to the hill tonight. The Yankees have high hopes for the young righty, but this will only be his first major league start and third appearance. He has thrown seven innings of relief, allowing one run on five hits with seven strikeouts. The Yankees have only had Aceves since they signed him from the Mexican League on March 10 (thus his assent to the majors was a rapid one).

Aceves is taking the place of Darrell Rasner, who has a 6.17 ERA post All-Star break.

Heading to the hill for the Angels is righty Ervin Santana (15-5, 3.23), who had a stint in the minors last season and struggled to a 7-14 record. But the 25-year old has been nothing short of spectacular this year, striking out 191 batters (second in the AL to A.J. Burnett) and earning his first All-Star appearance. Santana, who is 4-0 with a 2.31 ERA in his last seven starts, is starting in place of Jered Weaver, who sustained cuts to his hand in Detroit.

Santana pitched 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball in his last start Thursday in Detroit to earn his 15th win. In his only start against the Yankees this season on August 1, he pitched eight innings of five-hit ball with eight strikeouts. Here are the Yankees' career numbers against Santana.

Ivan Rodriguez (who apparently kissed and made up with Torii Hunter after last night's fight) is a career .125 hitter (2 for 16) against Santana, so he will sit tonight — Chad Moeller gets the start.

More on tonight's lineups (and some fun tidbits) can be found here.

**Quick note: Derek Jeter is one hit shy of overtaking Babe Ruth in second place on the Yankees' all-time hit list (he has 2,518). Yet Jeter is still 355 behind The Babe overall, and keep in mind that Ruth also pitched his first five seasons in Boston, thus limiting his at-bats.

***Also, the Yankees are 4-4 on their current 10-game road trip.

Of course, there is much more to talk about this evening, so let's get the conversation going in the chat box below! And be sure to vote on the poll questions!

I'll be back with updates after each half-inning.

Top of the 1st: After Damon grounded to first, Jeter singled to left to pass Babe Ruth on the Yankees' all-time hit list with 2,519 (see above). But Abreu hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. Here comes Aceves...

Bottom of the 1st: Willits grounded to second and Anderson flied to left before Teixeira singled to right. But Guerrero flew out to center to end the inning.

Aceves looked good in his opening frame, throwing 14 pitches.

Top of the 2nd: A-Rod singled to left after a 14-pitch at-bat (including eight foul balls) and then Giambi was hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second for Nady, who blooped a double to left to score A-Rod and give the Yankees a 1-0 lead.

Willits nearly made a sliding catch, but the ball dropped in just out of his reach. Had he caught it, A-Rod would have easily been doubled off at second.

The one run is all the Yankees would get. Matsui and Cano struck out swinging with runners on second and third for the first two outs, and then Moeller lined out to left to end the inning. Poor situational hitting to not get a run across with two runners in scoring position and nobody out.

Bottom of the 2nd: An impressive 1-2-3 inning for Aceves, as Hunter flied out to right, Quinlan grounded to third and Wood struck out swinging.

Aceves has thrown 24 pitches.

Top of the 3rd: Damon grounded out to first to lead off the inning and then Jeter struck out looking. Abreu singled to center, but was thrown out trying to steal second.

Angels catcher Jeff Mathis has thrown out 20 runners in 74 attempts (27 percent).

Santana has thrown 55 pitches through three innings.

Bottom of the 3rd: Another 1-2-3 inning for Aceves. He got Mathis to ground to third (good long throw by A-Rod), Rodriguez to pop out to second and Willits to loop one to third. Aceves has retired seven in a row, and is pitching to contact — leading to superb efficiency, just 33 pitches thus far.

Top of the 4th: A-Rod grounded out to short before Giambi flied out to the wall in left. Nady singled with two outs (his second hit of the night) but Matsui struck out for the second time tonight to end the inning.

Santana is up to 70 pitches.

Bottom of the 4th: Anderson's grounder scooted right under a diving Giambi to give him a leadoff single. Teixeira flied out to right and then Guerrero hit a grounder to Cano that should have been a double-play chance.

But Jeter dropped a chest-high throw for his 12th error of the season.

He was bailed out when Hunter grounded into a 1-4-3 double play in the next at-bat. Nice job by Aceves not to get rattled by the miscue.

Top of the 5th: Santana threw his first 1-2-3 inning at an opportune time (he needed just 10 pitches to get though the inning and now has 80). He struck out Cano for the second time tonight (he has five total), got Moeller to pop out to short and Damon (after breaking his third bat of the evening) to ground out to short.

Bottom of the 5th: Quinlan singled to left to lead off the inning and then Wood flied out to right. Quinlan stole second base, but Mathis struck out looking (the second K for Aceves) and Rodriguez grounded to third (Jeter's throw was high, but Giambi was able to come down with it and make the tag).

Aceves has thrown just 60 pitches. Nice job so far by the rook.

Top of the 6th: Gary Matthews, Jr. replaced Hunter in center, and promptly dropped Jeter's fly ball to deep right-center. He ran a long way to his left, but camped under it in enough time to make the catch. But it caromed off his glove and Jeter was given a gift triple.

Abreu walked to put runners on the corners for A-Rod, who launched his 33rd home run to the bleachers in right-center to put the Yankees up 4-0. The three-run shot gives Rodriguez 95 RBIs on the season.

The next three Yankees went down in order — Giambi struck out swinging, Nady grounded to second and Matsui popped to third.

That could be all for Santana, who is up to 101 pitches.

Bottom of the 6th: After Willits grounded out to second, Anderson singled and Teixeira roped a double to right-center. Then Guerrero put the Angels on the board with an RBI groundout to short to make it 4-1 Yanks. It was his 83rd RBI of the season.

Matthews Jr. grounded out to second to end the inning. Aceves is at 83 pitches.

Top of the 7th: Santana remained in the game for the seventh, but only recorded one out. After Cano flied out to center, Moeller blooped a single just over the head of Sean Rodriguez. Then Damon homered to right-center on a 1-0 pitch to give the Yankees a 6-1 lead. Damon now has 13 homers and 61 RBIs.

That spelled the end for Santana, who was lifted in favor of righty Jason Bulger (0-0, 4.66).

Jeter checked his swing and got an infield single off Bulger, but the tall righty sat down Abreu on a nice catch by Matthews in center, walked A-Rod and got Giambi to line out to center to end the inning.

Santana is in line for his first loss since July 27, after giving up six runs on nine hits and a walk in 6 1/3 innings. He had six strikeouts and threw 109 pitches.

Bottom of the 7th: Aceves threw his third 1-2-3 inning of the night, as Quinlan popped to first and then Wood and Kendry Morales (hitting for the catcher Mathis) grounded to third.

That looks to be it for Aceves. If so, a quality outing by the rookie, allowing a run on five hits and no walks in seven innings. He struck out two and tossed 89 pitches.

Top of the 8th: Righty Justin Speier (1-8, 5.04) replaced Bulger, who threw 2/3 of an inning of scoreless ball, allowing one hit and one walk.

Speier tossed a 1-2-3 inning, as Nady struck out swinging, Matsui flied to right and Cano skyed one in the middle of the infield that Wood squeezed to end the inning.

Bottom of the 8th: The seventh inning was in fact the last for Aceves. He was replaced by Brian Bruney (2-0, 2.25), who hurled a scoreless inning.

Rodriguez grounded out to short and Willits did the same to second. Anderson drove a double off the wall in right-center, but Teixeira struck out swinging to end the inning.

Top of the 9th: After Moeller grounded out to third, Damon rocketed his second homer of the night, a solo shot to right-center off Speier that put the Yankees up 7-1. Damon now has 14 homers and 62 RBIs.

Jeter grounded to second for the second out and Abreu did the same to first to end the inning.

Bottom of the 9th: Damaso Marte (4-3, 4.20) came on for the Yanks in relief of Bruney, who threw a scoreless eighth. Marte gave up a single to Guerrero to lead off the inning, but got Matthews and Quinlan to fly out to right, and then Wood to foul out to first (nice grab by Ransom) to end the game.

That's the ballgame, folks! Yankees win, 7-1.
Yankees: 77-68
Angels: 87-57 (clinching the AL West has to wait at least one more day)

WP--Aceves (1-0)
LP--Santana (15-6) **Quick note, Santana was charged with five earned runs on eight hits, because the "triple" Jeter was awarded back in the sixth was changed to an error.

**Also, Torii Hunter left the game due to tightness in his left quad.

HR: Yankees 3 (Damon: his 13th and 14th, A-Rod: his 33rd)

Here are your three stars for the evening:
1. Aceves: 7 IP, one run, five hits, no walks and two K's for his first career win
2. Damon: 2 for 5 with two homers, three RBIs and two runs
3. A-Rod: 2 for 3 with a homer, walk and three RBIs

Bonus fourth star: Jeter, for passing Ruth on the Yankees' all-time hit list (see above).

As always, it was my honor and pleasure to be here tonight with all of you and I hope to see ya'll soon! Goodnight everyone!