Sabathia gets call for Yanks' first-half finale with Mariners

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07/11/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The final of four weekend games between the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners will take place at Safeco Field today.

Yankees' ace CC Sabathia will be on the mound for the finale, and that is typically good news for his squad. Through 18 starts this season, Sabathia is 11-3 with a 3.19 ERA and has 103 strikeouts through 124 innings. He's also won his last three starts, including a stellar performance against Oakland on Tuesday in which he permitted just one earned run through 7 2/3 innings.

Sabathia is 1-0 against Seattle this season and 7-4 with a 2.82 ERA lifetime against the Mariners.

Ryan Rowland-Smith is the scheduled starter for the Mariners, and his season has been an ongoing nightmare. The lefty is 1-8 with a 5.74 ERA and hopes to finish on a positive note in his last start before the All-Star break.

Rowland-Smith allowed three earned runs on seven hits through seven innings against Kansas City on Tuesday en route to defeat, and he has allowed 96 hits through 80 innings on the year. The Seattle lefty, who has more walks than strikeouts for the season, owns a 4.70 lifetime ERA against the Yankees.

The Mariners halted New York's seven-game winning streak last night, as Jose Lopez's grand slam in the eighth inning backed a strong start from Felix Hernandez as the Seattle earned a 4-1 win.

Hernandez (7-5) went the distance for the fourth time this season and was charged with 10 hits and a run with two walks and nine strikeouts for the Mariners, who had dropped five straight and eight of nine coming in.

"There was no chance they were going to take me out of that game," Hernandez said. "The first three innings [the Yankees] were having good at-bats against me. They went foul, foul, foul, foul and were taking a lot of pitches and my pitch count was up. After that I settled down and it was strike one, strike one. That was the adjustment...get ahead of the hitters."

Hernandez has 11 complete games in his career and went the distance for the third straight time against the Yankees, the first pitcher to do so since Jaime Navarro in 1990-91.

Justin Smoak, whom Seattle acquired in the trade on Friday that saw Cliff Lee head to Texas, went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in his Mariners debut. New teammate Ichiro Suzuki was able to extend his hitting streak to 12 games, however.

Nick Swisher's home run accounted for the lone offense for the Yankees. Reliever Joba Chamberlain (1-4) was tagged with the loss after blowing a 1-0 led in the eighth.

"It comes down to command," Chamberlain said. "The stuff is there. There wasn't a lot of wiggle room [Saturday]. They hit one ball hard when it comes down to it."

Yankees starter Javier Vazquez carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and surrendered just three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over seven shutout innings.

New York's Mark Teixeira went 2-for-4 and has now reached base safely in 31 straight games.

The loss shortened the Yankees' lead over Tampa Bay in the AL East to two games after the Rays defeated Cleveland on Saturday.

Seattle took two of three matchups at Yankee Stadium from June 29-July 1 and has now won six of the past 10 meetings between the clubs.

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Problem with Bears?

Chicago, IL - New Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and star linebacker Brian Urlacher shot down reports of a rift, saying they're simply not true.

"There's nothing between us," Cutler said Thursday, when he reported to training camp. "I just want to put that to rest. There never has been anything between us."

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Urlacher added: "I never said what I was quoted as saying and that's it. I have a lot of respect for Jay. I think Jay knows that."
Former Bears receiver Bobby Wade caused a stir when he told Minneapolis radio station KFAN-AM that Urlacher used a profanity while questioning Cutler's manhood during a conversation in Las Vegas last weekend. Wade, who now plays for the Vikings, said Urlacher used a profane version of the word "wimp" during the interview that had to be edited out.
go radio station WSCR-AM also reported that Urlacher had to be restrained from confronting Cutler during organized team activities.
"I wouldn't go face-to-face with Brian, anyway," Cutler said. "No, that's never happened. I've hung out with Brian away from the facility numerous times and we've always gotten along."
Urlacher, noting he was limited by a groin injury, denied the reports in an interview with the Chicago Tribune and did it again when he reported to camp.
"I didn't practice this summer, so I don't know how I would fight the guy if I didn't practice," Urlacher said. "We have no problems. I'm excited about football starting. I'm excited to have him as our quarterback."
Why would Wade say that?
"I don't know," Urlacher said. "Maybe he's jealous because we have a good quarterback now."
Cutler said the first he heard of any friction was when he got a call from Urlacher to clear the air. Urlacher, however, said he had already taken several calls from teammates wondering if the reports were true when Cutler phoned.
"He called me and I said, What's up (expletive), what are you doing?'" a grinning Urlacher said, uttering the same word he allegedly used with Wade. "It's so dumb to me that this even got to this point, but it did and then here we are."
better place after going 9-7 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. They have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades after acquiring Cutler in an offseason trade with Denver. But there are questions about his attitude following a fallout with Broncos management and new coach Josh McDaniels.
His critics include former Bears coach Mike Ditka and former Indianapolis and Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy, one of Smith's mentors. Smith, however, said Cutler has been a model teammate so far while denying any animosity with Urlacher.
"There's no issue with Jay and Brian, except Brian and Jay are both excited about being teammates for our club this year," coach Lovie Smith said. "No more than that. We can't spend a whole lot of time on something that isn't true. I have talked to the players. Whenever something comes out, you have to address it, but it's a non-issue."
In some ways, Cutler is getting a second chance in Chicago, an opportunity to repair his reputation.
Smith said another quarterback - Michael Vick - deserves one, although he doesn't see it happening with the Bears, who lack an experienced backup. The former Atlanta Falcons star, who served a 23-month sentence for running a dogfighting ring, said Thursday he is getting close to signing with a pro football team.
"A second chance, like everyone in society who has paid their debt to society," Smith said. "He deserves a second chance. As far as we're concerned, we like this team that we have right now."
Particularly the new quarterback.
"Me and Brian have been on a good relationship since I've been here, and I expect it to continue that way," Cutler said.

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