That's why they call it "small ball"

Joe Mauer, one of the best hitters in baseball, led off the seventh, down 6-4, with a bunt single. On cue, the Yankees announcers are extolling his baseball virtues and how smart he is. "Even if he hit a home run they'd still be down a run," says Ms. Waldman. Justin Morneau promptly hits a slow grounder to second, just missing a double play. Kubel strikes out. The slow-footed Morneau is caught trying (inexplicably) to take second on a wild pitch that didn't get past the catcher nearly far enough.

If Mauer (.390/.463/.654) had hit normally, he may very well have gotten a double. In that case, he may very well have been on third on Morneau's grounder.

"Still down a run." But I'd rather enter the eighth down by one than two.

Meanwhile, Tag-Gate is getting more interesting every day.

Jeter calls Umpire Foster a liar. Craig Calcaterra wonders why Derek wasn’t fined for this:

So, we have a clear instance of a player saying that an ump is lying. Which is worse than simply saying that an ump blew a call, which in the past has gotten players and managers fined. No one seems to be rushing to fine Jeter this morning, however, which suggests one of two things: (1) that Jeter gets special treatment because he’s Jeter; or (2) that Major League Baseball thinks Jeter has a point and isn’t buying the ump’s story.

It’s more than (1). As Hirschbeck implied, Jeter isn’t a player to just spout off over a bad call. Derek built up a lot of credibility over the years by acting like a professional on the field. For Jeter to be this upset, for Jeter to call an umpire a liar, something real happened. I’m guessing Mr. Foster will be back in the minors real soon.