The Yankees have beaten the Indians four times in a row and limited the best offence in the American League to two runs and 11 hits over the last two games.”He [Kamieniecki] kept his composure well in pressure situations and he kept us in the game when we were down 2-1,” the Yankees manager, Buck Showalter, said. “If you can keep these guys in the ballpark, you have to like your chances of winning.”"We always play well against them, we take it as a challenge,” Kamieniecki said “You always want to play the best It brings out the best in you. “Every game for us is important,” said Vinny Castilla, Tuesday’s outstanding player.The New York Yankees stayed at the head of the American League wild card race by beating the Cleveland Indians 9-2. Baseball

The Colorado Rockies secured their sixth successive win with a 12-2 pounding of the Atlanta Braves 12-2 on Tuesday and remain one game ahead of the Los Angles Dodgers at the top of the Western Division.
The Rockies’ target is a place in the play-offs.

The second leg is going to be hard and we know we will have to dig deep.”Raith will be boosted in the second leg by the return from illness of Jim McInally, but their English full-back, Julian Broddle, will be suspended after collecting his second booking of the competition.. But we will have to defend properly – they are very quick up front.”Jimmy Nicholl, Raith’s manager, was happy enough with the result but he remains cautious, knowing that the job is far from finished. “The scoreline puts us in a good position, but it was a hard, hard-working performance which got us this far,” he said “The game may not have been pretty but it was exciting. “I thought Akranes looked dangerous every time they attacked and Scott Thomson pulled off a wonder save to keep them down to one goal.

This is reflected in the incentive on offer to the Batumi players to reach the next round. The squad’s average wage is only about pounds 350 a month but they are reputedly in line for a pounds 3,500 bonus if they knock out Celtic.. Raith Rovers are a step nearer to fulfilling their dream of a glamorous European game in their first Uefa Cup campaign. The Kirkcaldy club will carry a 3-1 lead to Iceland in two weeks’ time after making good use of home advantage in the first leg of their first round tie with IA Akranes. The team was forced to wait an hour in sweltering heat at Batumi airport before being allowed through customs.Celtic’s hotel is very basic but despite the social problems in Georgia, which broke away from the Soviet Union only fours years ago, football remains a passion and a welcome diversion from the daily grind. I had just signed, and watched from the stand with a few of the younger players. I’d never played there before this season but I’m happy with my performances this year,” he said.The preparations for this tricky encounter have not gone as smoothly as Celtic’s manager, Tommy Burns, would have liked, with midfielder Paul McStay and striker Pierre van Hooijdonk ruled out through injury and defender Tosh McKinlay doubtful with a back strain.Burns, presiding over his first European game as a manager, is awaiting the result of a fitness test on the consistent left-back before naming his side, but the absence of the former Hearts man would be a blow and could mean a defensive reshuffle.The build-up to the match has been overshadowed by the arduous journey Celtic faced to the Georgian sea port.

Just a little taste of European success would be enough to encourage the fans to believe that the glory days have not gone for good.
Simon Donnelly, who has made an impressive start to the season in his new role on the right side of Celtic’s midfield, believes the former European champions can start the ball rolling in that direction by beating Dynamo Batumi tonight in the first leg of their Cup-Winners’ Cup first-round tie.Donnelly was superb on Sunday when he was instrumental in Celtic’s 3- 2 Scottish Premier Division victory at Aberdeen, and he aims to carry that form through into his European debut today.”My best memory of Celtic in Europe is the Uefa Cup match at home to Cologne in September 1992. Then he had a free-kick saved by Bogdan Stelea.Andy Goram rescued Rangers after 52 minutes by pulling off a superb reaction save from Constantin Galca’s swerving free-kick, but the goalkeeper could do nothing to stop an emphatic volley by Prodan which met a corner by Galca.Steaua Bucharest: Stelea; Csik, Parvu, Dobos, Galca, Prodan, Raducan, Militaru, Vladoiu, Ilie (Rosu, 65), Bucur.Rangers: Goram; Wright, Cleland, Gough, McLaren, Petric, Miller (Durie, 75), Gascoigne, McCoist, Durrant (Murray, 81), Laudrup.Referee: A Sars (France).. Gascoigne threatened a couple of times, once weaving into the box shortly only for his shot to be blocked by Daniel Prodan, the eventual match-winner. To add another gloomy note, Shearer and Hendry, Rovers’ key players, were booked Another caution would mean a one-match ban.