Afternoon Baseball

A 39-year-old who was basically given away by the Florida Marlins and who hasn't pitched in a Yankee uniform since Alvaro Espinoza ranged at short is given the start on Sunday for the Yankees against the Red Sox. In Fenway.

Well, somehow Al Leiter throws 6.1 innings with only 1 run allowed and 8 strikeouts. The Yanks win their 10th in 12 games.

Here's the good: Leiter is a fierce competitor, and a change of scenery may really awaken him to how close his career is to ending. He also has had only 2 seasons of a 4.00+ ERA since 1994.

The bad: He's old, has only pitched 200 innings 3 times despite 6 seasons of 30+ starts, and averaged under 6 per start last year. His control disappeared this season, and if his pitch count is high, he won't make it past 5 innings ever. As it is, he only has 16 career CG in over 370 starts, and his last one was in 2003.

But when you have 4 starters on the DL, you do what you can.