Adding insult to injury during the Yankee’s loss to Seattle last night, Alex Rodriguez’s hand was broken when he was hit by a pitch from Felix Hernandez in the eighth inning. Rodriguez was hit with an 88 mph changeup and went down in considerable pain. The Yankees say he has a non-displaced fracture, and there is no timetable for his return. Hernandez, who got the 4-2 win, also hit Derek Jeter and former teammate Ichiro Suzuki in the same inning.
The Mets continued an embarrassing stretch against the Nationals yesterday, losing 5-2. The Mets have lost 11 of 12. Gonzalez and three relievers combined on a three-hitter. Gonzalez held the Mets to one run on two hits over seven innings. The Nationals have the best record in the NL at 57-39. Just three seasons ago, they won just 59 games the whole year. The Mets will try to prevent a series sweep this afternoon in New York.
Elsewhere in the NL,the Phillies rallied with six runs in the eighth inning to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6. Hunter Pence singled in the go-ahead run after Carlos Ruiz hit a tying, three-run double.
And in the AL the Boston Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers 2-1 to end a four-game losing streak.
Olympic action officially kicks off tonight with the first round of Women’s soccer. Team USA will play France coming up at noon, Eastern. The official opening ceremonies will take place on Friday.
The price of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal could go well beyond the $60 million fine and other penalties imposed by the NCAA. State Farm is pulling its ads from broadcasts of Penn State football games, while General Motors is reconsidering its sponsorship deal and Wall Street is threatening to downgrade the school's credit rating. Pepsi, PNC bank and the health insurer Highmark say they are sticking with Penn State.
Meanwhile football coach Bill O'Brien says his priority right now is to try to convince his current players to stay put. During an interview on the "Dan Patrick Radio Show," O'Brien said the toughest of the NCAA sanctions imposed on the school's program was the decision to allow current players to transfer immediately without restrictions. He says he has tried to emphasize the quality of a Penn State education, and he and his staff's ability to prepare players for the NFL. O'Brien says he's receiving a lot of "positive feedback" from his players.
Jake Sorgen, WAMC News
Copyright 2012, by the Associated Press