Jose Molina hit by pitch with bases loaded as Yankees beat A's in 12

BY PETER BOTTE DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER About all that wasn't smoking hot at the Stadium for much of the day was the Yankees' lineup in the clutch following a one-game reprieve. Their game-long failure with runners in scoring position, in fact, kept the A's close long enough to score twice after starter Joba Chamberlain departed, including a tiebreaking run against Mariano Rivera in the ninth. But three straight two-out hits against Oakland closer Huston Street in the ninth forced extra innings before Jose Molina fittingly was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 12th to send the Yanks to a rousing 4-3 victory Saturday in sweltering conditions in the Bronx. Of course, Joe Girardi and the Yanks had been uplifted by their offense going 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position - including six two-out RBI - in Friday's... [read full story]