Catcher Jeff Clement, considered one of the building blocks for the Mariners future, will undergo arhtroscopic knee surgery Tuesday and miss the rest of the season.

Clement, 25, batted .325 in the month of August, but a tear in the meniscus of the knee kept him from catching fulltime.

For the year, Clement batted .227 with five home runs and 23 RBI in 66 games.

Ryan Rowland-Smith's turn to face New York and, like Brandon Morrow last night, he'll have a few rookies in the lineup with him.
1B Bryan LaHair, C Rob Johnson and 2B Luis Valbuena will start tonight against a rather portly Sydney Ponson.
And we're off.

Yankees grab their first lead of the series on Bobby Abreu's 16th home run of the year. Could have been worse.
Johnny Damon worked Rowland-Smith for a 3-2 walk, but Derek Jeter grounded into a double play. After Abreu's home run, Alex Rodriguez flied out - to the delight of the crowd.
Yankees 1, Mariners 0 ...

Yankees loaded the bases on a trio of two-out walks to bring the game to Jason Giambi.
Manager Jim Riggleman played the right side of his infield deep - second baseman Valbuena was in short right field - and Giambi grounded sharply to Valbuena's right.
Diving stop, pop up and throw, in time.
Yankees 1, Mariners 0 ...

Rowland-Smith has pitched five sharp innings, getting out of trouble when he had to - but Ponson has wiggled out of harm's way again and again.
Mariners got Yuniesky Betancourt to third base with one out, but Valbuena was robbed of a hit by Jeter and Ichiro grounded out.
Jeremy Reed led off with a double in the fourth inning and was never moved.
Mariners have two hits, the Yankees four.
Through five innings, Ponson has thrown only 47 pitches. Rowland-Smith 71.
Yankees 1, Mariners 0 ...

Rowland-Smith got ahead of Giambi, 1-2, and Giambi turned a fastball around for his 29th home run.
After six innings, Rowland-Smith has been burned for two solo home runs - and the Mariners haven't broken through yet.
Yankees 2, Mariners 0 ...

Two-outs, who cares? Reed and Beltre single with two outs - Beltre extending his hitting streak to 12 games - and Raul Ibanez hit his 23rd home run of the season.
RBI number 98, 99 and 100 for Ibanez, and the Mariners lead.
Mariners 3, Yankees 2 ...

Top of the seventh, and Rowland-Smith was pulled for Sean Green. Johnny Damon, aboard on a fielders choice, stole second and third base and Jeter walked for the second time.
With left-handed hitting Abreu due up, Rigglemen went to rookie left hander Justin Thomas.
Abreu pulled a soft line drive into the right-field corner for a two-run triple.
Riggleman went to right-hander Roy Corcoran, who hit A-Rod with his first pitch. Giambi doubled home a run, Nady's ground ball scored A-Rod, Matsui singled home another run and the Yankees opened the game up with a big inning.
Yankees 7, Mariners 3 ...

Two-out singles by Reed, Beltre and Ibanez pushed across a run - but also brought on Yankee closer Mariano Rivera to get the final four outs.
He got the first one, getting Jose Lopez to ground out and end the eighth inning.
Yankees 7, Mariners 4 ...

Luis Valbuena figured he'd get the chance to pinch-run this month when the Seattle Mariners called him up from Class AAA Tacoma.

He called his parents and family at home in Venezuela and told them this was a cup of coffee appearance and not to expect much.

"They went crazy happy," Valbuena said.

Last week in Texas, he started at second base - and made sure his family knew about it before hand.

"They wanted to see me play," he said.

And tonight, in the small city of Zulia, they'll gather again in the Valbuena house, because their 22-year-old pride and joy is starting at second base again.

No, they don't have cable television, nor can they afford a satellite dish.

"They watch it on computer," Valbuena said. "My parents, aunts and uncles - about 15 people, all sitting by the computer screaming for me."

That is what September can mean in baseball, no matter what the win-loss record.

In the small town of Zulia, there is a new hero. And in Seattle, a youngster trying to prove himself.