Neo Workxx » irardi said. Rob Refsnyder played first and went 0 for

DENVER -- The Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins meet in the rubber game of their series Sunday against the backdrop of history.Ichiro Suzuki is one hit shy of becoming the 30th player in major league history to reach 3,000 hits. He got No. 2,999 with a pinch-single in the eighth inning on Saturday night, stayed in the game and narrowly missing No. 3,000 in the ninth when pitcher Scott Oberg bobbled Suzukis high-bouncer, slipped to one knee while retrieving the ball and narrowly threw him out.After the Marlins 12-6 loss, manager Don Mattingly would not say whether he plans to start Suzuki on Sunday afternoon against Rockies right-hander Jon Gray.Ichiro declined to speak Saturday night, saying through a Marlins public relations official that after a loss he had no desire to talk about his personal accomplishment or anything upbeat.Regardless, the baseball world will be watching Sunday, waiting and hoping that Suzuki makes history. One of those with more than passing interest in his quest is Ken Griffey Jr., who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in July and was Suzukis teammate in Seattle. The Mariners provided the following remarks by Griffey.I got a first row (seat) to watch one of the greatest ballplayers to (ever) play ... to watch what hes done, day in and day out, Griffey said. Its pretty impressive ... for him to go out there and roll out the hits that he has, its pretty incredible.Its a tribute to his work ethic and everything that he believes in. ... It is something special, not just for the guys who played with him but for all of baseball and all the people in Japan. This is something thats huge. I know that he doesnt take it lightly. He works hs butt off day in and day out.Opposing Gray for the Marlins will be Adam Conley, who is 7-6 with a 3.41 ERA in 22 starts. Right-handed hitters have hit 10 homers against Conley but are batting just .225 (78-for-347). Left-handed hitters havent homered against Conley but are batting .306 (33-for-108) against him.He has been much more effective against right-handed hitters.Conley is 3-3 with a 3.92 ERA on the road, including his last start on Monday in Chicago where he lost 5-0 to the Cubs and gave up two runs, five hits and six walks with four strikeouts in four innings.Gray, a rookie in his first full season in the majors, is 8-4 with a 3.77 ERA overall in 19 starts and 5-0 with a 3.83 ERA in nine starts at Coors Field.In Grays past seven outings, he is 4-1 with a 2.18 ERA, and hes 3-0 with an 0.69 ERA (26 innings, two earned runs) in four starts since the All-Star break with eight walks and 25 strikeouts. Not surprisingly, Gray is brimming with confidence.Even when Im not on my game, I know I can keep us in the game, just by competing, Gray said. Saucony Outlet Italia . Pierce was ejected in the third quarter of Indianas 103-86 win Monday. George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up. Saucony Italia Scontate . -- Derrick Rose shook off poor shooting early to hit clutch shots late and Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 104-95 preseason victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. http://www.sauconyscontate.it/ . Coach Tom Thibodeau says the former MVP will probably start travelling with the team in the next few weeks. Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season by the Bulls. Saucony Scontate Online . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. Saucony Saldi Online . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky. NEW YORK -- Just a couple of days into the seasons second half, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said his team needed to win this one.Fortunately for New York, he had the right men on the mound.Masahiro Tanaka outpitched David Price in their first matchup to win his fourth straight decision, and the Yankees ended Bostons six-game winning streak Sunday night with a 3-1 victory over the Red Sox.I think everybody understood how important it was to win today, Tanaka said through a translator.Starlin Castro keyed New Yorks three-run fourth inning with a double that scored Didi Gregorius from first base, snapping a 10-game drought without an RBI.No. 9 batter Austin Romine lined a go-ahead single with two outs off the glove of diving second baseman Dustin Pedroia. Jacoby Ellsbury added another RBI single off Price, who gave up 11 hits in 5 2/3 innings as the Yankees prevented a three-game sweep.We had to bounce back, Gregorius said. For us, today showed that were fighting.Following a loss on Saturday, Girardi said the Yankees had to turn things around immediately and called Sunday night probably as important (a) game that weve had in July in a long time.New York responded with excellent pitching and a handful of timely hits.When you write up a win for us, this is exactly what we need, Romine said.All-Star slugger Carlos Beltran even called it a must-win game. Well aware he could be an attractive trade target if the Yankees (45-46) decide to sell before the Aug. 1 deadline, Beltran said the current 10-game homestand is important to what the future holds for a lot of guys here.Price (9-7) had only one strikeout following three consecutive outings with 10. Pedroia homered early for Boston, which remained two games behind first-place Baltimore in the AL East.Were right in this all the way through the end, manager John Farrell said.Tanaka (7-2) fanned seven with one walk over six innings of three-hit ball in his latest stingy performance on extra rest. Pitching with six days between starts, the Japanese right-hander improved to 6-0 in 11 starts with more than four days off.He is 1-2 with a 5.33 ERA in his other eight games.More rest means more time to sort of get the inflammation out of your body, Tanaka said.Tanaka had Red Sox hitters in baseballs highest-scoring lineup chasing sliders and splitters below the strike zone. He threw just 87 pitches -- but that was all the Yankees needed because their three big bullpen arms were all fresh and ready to go.I thought he gave us everything he had and I thougght he aired it out in the sixth inning, Girardi said.dddddddddddd We have those three big guys down there for a reason, so Im going to go to them.Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman combined for three hitless innings. Chapman worked the ninth for his 18th save in 19 chances, and the Yankees upped their record to 17-1 when all three pitch in the same game.New Yorks bullpen has thrown 19 straight shutout innings.Boston hasnt swept a series at Yankee Stadium since June 2011, and the Red Sox havent won seven in a row overall since June 1, 2014.Youre the guy who goes out there and doesnt help us win that seventh one, thats tough, Price said.LOOSE WITH THE LEFTIESPrice, who leads the AL with 141 strikeouts, fell to 14-9 in 34 career games (33 starts) against the Yankees -- including 1-2 with a 7.79 ERA during his first season in Boston. The left-hander gave up six hits to left-handed hitters (in 11 at-bats), matching a career high.TRAINERS ROOMRed Sox: RHP Junichi Tazawa (shoulder impingement) threw all his stuff in a 40-pitch bullpen session. But the team would like Tazawa to face hitters in a simulated game -- likely Tuesday -- before activating him from the 15-day disabled list, Farrell said.Yankees: Slumping 1B Mark Teixeira sat out after fouling a ball off his left foot Saturday. He had a CT scan that was negative. Hes just sore, and hell probably be out a few days, Girardi said. Rob Refsnyder played first and went 0 for 3 with a walk. ... C Brian McCann was rested against the left-hander in favor of Romine, even though McCann is 10 for 29 (.345) with three homers vs. Price. Tanaka is 5-0 in six starts with Romine behind the plate.UP NEXTRed Sox: Following a day off, RHP Rick Porcello (11-2, 3.66 ERA) starts Tuesday night at Fenway Park against former Boston RHP Jake Peavy (5-7, 5.09) and the major league-leading San Francisco Giants in the opener of a nine-game homestand. That begins a stretch of 43 scheduled games in 44 days for the Red Sox. Bostons next 20 games are against teams outside the AL East. Farrell said the team thought Porcello would benefit from a few extra days of rest out of the All-Star break.Yankees: RHP Ivan Nova (6-5, 5.18 ERA) will pitch on 10 days rest when he starts the opener of a four-game series Monday night against Baltimore RHP Kevin Gausman (1-6, 4.15). Nova hasnt lasted six innings in any of his past five starts. ' ' '