Jayson Nix is going to get the first chance to replace Jhonny Peralta at third base.
Shin-Soo Choo makes a sliding catch on a ball hit by Derek Jeter in the 1st inning of a game between the Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees on Thurs. July 29, 2010. UPDATED: 9:36 p.m.
Cleveland, Ohio -- This is a daily briefing of the Indians 2010 regular season. The Indians play the Yankees tonight in the final game of a four-game series at Progressive Field.
Progressive Field dimensions: Left field line 325 feet, left field power alley 370 feet, center field 400, right center field power alley 375, right field line 325.
In game notes:
Score: Yankees 2, Indians 1 after six innings.
In the lead: Derek Jeter's two-out single off Tony Sipp in the sixth gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead. Brett Gardner scored the go-ahead run after drawing a leadoff walk, taking second on a ground out and stealing third.
Manager Manny Acta could have intentionally walked Jeter with first base open to set-up left-on-left matchup with Curtis Granderson, buthe let Sipp pitch to Jeter. Granderson hit Sipp hard in the Indians trip to Yankees Stadium earlier this season.
Injury: Mitch Talbot left the game in the third inning with a strained back after going 2-0 on Derek Jeter with one on and no one out. Rafael Perez relieved. He walked Jeter, with the walk being charged to Talbot. Curtis Granderson advanced the runners with a sac-bunt and Perez loaded the bases by walking Mark Teixeira.
That set up a confrontation with Alex Rodriguez, who is seeking his 600th homer. A seven-pitch at-bat ended with Rodriguez lining a sac-fly to center to tie the score, 1-1. Perez escaped further damage when Robinson Cano lined into a double play at second.
Early lead: The Indians took a 1-0 lead on Dustin Moseley on Austin Kearns' sac-fly in the first.
The lne: Talbot went two innings, allowing one run on one hit. He walked four and struck out one on 42 pitches.
Pre-game notes:
Game 102: Manager Manny Acta said Jayson Nix will get the majority of at bats at third base following Wednesday's trade of Jhonny Peralta to Detroit.
"Jayson Nix is going to get the first shot," said Acta before tonight's game. "We got production out of him at second base. He'll get the majority of at-bats right now."
Acta said Andy Marte will get some starts at third and Luis Valbuena could play there if they need a left-handed hitter in the lineup. Valbuena, called up from Class AAA Columbus to take Peralta's spot on the roster, will primarily be the utility infielder.
Nix is hitting .255 (24-for-94) with five doubles, six homers and 12 RBI in 24 games since being claimed on waivers from the White Sox on June 24. He started quickly with the Tribe, but lost his starting position at second when the Indians gave the job to Jason Donald following the return of shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera from a broken left forearm.
The right-handed hitting Nix played 16 games at third, including 12 starts, with the White Sox this season before he was designated for assignment.
"I feel comfortable over there," said Nix. "With Jhonny gone, this is a good opportunity."
Scratched: DH Travis Hafner was scratched from the Indians lineup because of a sore right shoulder. Shelley Duncan replaced him.
Lineups:
Yankees (64-36): SS Derek Jeter (R), CF Curtis Granderson (L), 1B Mark Teixeira (S), 3B Alex Rodriguez (R), 2B Robinson Cano (L), DH Nick Swisher (S), LF Brett Gardner (L), C Francisco Cervelli (R), RF Colin Curtis (L) and RHP Dustin Moseley (0-0, 4.22).
Indians (42-59): CF Trevor Crowe (S), SS Asdrubal Cabrera, RF Shin-Soo Choo (L), C Carlos Santana (S), LF Austin Kearns (R), 1B Matt LaPorta (R), 3B Jayson Nix (R), DH Shelley Duncan (R), 2B Luis Valbuena (L) and RHP Mitch Talbot (8-9, 4.08).
Umpires: H Jerry Meals, 1B Mark Wegner, 2B Dan Iassogna, 3B Dale Scott.
Quote of the day: "I copied (Shoeless Joe) Jackson's style because I thought he was the greatest hitter I had ever seen, the greatest natural hitter I ever saw. He's the guy who made me a hitter," Hall of Famer Babe Ruth from the Baseball Almanac.
Next: Indians open three-game series against Toronto at Rogers Centre on Friday. RHP Justin Masterson (3-9, 5.19) vs. RHP Shaun Marcum (9-4, 3.36) at 7:07 p.m.