Poor Jeff Weaver. He just can't catch a break. Forget that he's pitching for one of the best teams in the game, the world has conspired against him. After getting torched again last night, here is what Weaver offered to the press after the game:

"Everything that can go wrong now is going wrong," Weaver said. "If I fall behind, they hit it. If I make a good pitch, they hit it. It's tough to comprehend because I've made those pitches before and they've worked."

...I know I know how to pitch. I know how to win."

That's almost as weak as the stuff he had on the mound. Joe Torre was blunt in his assessment of Weaver's performance:

"He didn't make good pitches," Torre said. "He left a lot over the plate and the Royals let him know about it...It wasn't a good night. I found no positives in the way he pitched tonight."

Kevin Appier was effective, and KC rolled to an 11-0 shutout. Even though he was recently cut by the Angels, Appier has a lower ERA than Weaver. The Yanks lost two of three again to a good team, and they also lost a game in the standings as the Sox finally beat the A's, 7-3.

There isn't anything good to say about last night's game from a Yankee perspective. The dog days have enveloped them indeed. Derek Jeter did offer a reality check of sorts:

"It's great when you can struggle this time of year and still be in first place. A lot of teams would like to be in our position right now."

Just ask the Twins.