(AP Photo/Gail Burton)
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N.Y. Yankees | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 15 | 0 |
| Baltimore | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 1 |
After losing four of five, and looking pretty damn bad in the process, their 8-3 win over the Orioles tonight in Baltimore just what the doctor ordered. Also, it was an easy win, because with CC Sabathia on the mound and the Yankees jumping out to an early 6-0 lead, this one was over by the third.
CC didn't have his best stuff, and allowed a season-high 11 hits (previous high was 6), but he still had enough to hold the Orioles to just three runs over 7.2 innings on his way to his third win of the year. Baltimore had runners on in seven of the eight innings Sabathia pitched, but were only able to push across individual runs in third, sixth, and seventh. He's now 3-1, with a 3.12 ERA, a great start considering last year he went 1-2 with a 4.73 ERA over his first five.
It was a good night for the Yankees offense as well. Six Yankees had multi-hit games and as a team they pounded out a season-high 1. From the first batter of the game O's starter Jeremy Guthrie had nothing to stop the Yankees bats. He would allowed seven runs (six earned) on six hits and a walk in just 4.2 inning before Dave Trembley had to go to his pen.
Derek Jeter led off the game with a double, and then scored on a Nick Johnson single. A few batters later Johnson scored on a sac fly by Alex Rodriguez.
Nick Swisher made it 4-0 when he smashed a ball off the wall in left-center for two-run triple in the second. Jeter added a sac fly later in the inning to make it 5-0.
In the third, Robinson Cano hit his team-leading sixth homer of the year. It was one of two hits on the night for Robbie, who now leads the majors with a .390 batting average.
Francisco Cervelli and Jeter would tack on a couple more runs with RBI singles in the middle innings.
Joba Chamberlain replaced Sabathia with two on and two out in the, and rebounded from his rough appearance in Anaheim and got Luke Scott to ground out to end the inning. Scott's groundout capped a 2-for-12 night with RISP for the O's lineup. Sergio Mitre got three groundouts in a 1-2-3 ninth to close things out.
The three slumping Yankees--Mark Teixeira, Nick Johnson and Curtis Granderson all had hits tonight. Tex and Johnson both picked up singles, and Granderson had two hits to break out of an 0-for-17 and 1-for-21 slump.
One ugly moment for the Yanks came in the top of the second when Jorge Posada was hit on the right kneecap with a 94 MPH fastball from Guthrie. Posada stayed in the game to run the bases, but was removed a half-inning later because the knee swelled up. He listed as day-to-day with a contusion, but don't expect to see him in the lineup for at least the next two games.
A.J. Burnett will take the mound for the Yanks in the rubber game of this three-game set tomorrow. O's top pitching prospect, left-hander Brian Matusz, will get the start for Baltimore. First pitch is 7:05 p.m. and the game is on YES and the MLB Network.
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
| Derek Jeter, SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .306 |
| Nick Johnson, DH | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | .143 |
| Mark Teixeira, 1B | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .133 |
| Alex Rodriguez, 3B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .260 |
| Robinson Cano, 2B | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .390 |
| Jorge Posada, C | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .316 |
| Francisco Cervelli, C | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .444 |
| Curtis Granderson, CF | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .243 |
| Nick Swisher, RF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .284 |
| Brett Gardner, LF | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .310 |
| Totals | 40 | 8 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 7 | | |
| Batting | ||||||||
| 2B: Jeter (4, Guthrie). 3B: Swisher (2, Guthrie). HR: Cano (6, 3rd inning off Guthrie, 0 on, 2 out). TB: Jeter 3; Johnson, N; Teixeira; Cano 5; Cervelli 2; Granderson 2; Swisher 5; Gardner 2. RBI: Rodriguez, A (12), Swisher 2 (11), Jeter 2 (14), Cano (15), Cervelli (6). 2-out RBI: Cano; Cervelli. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Granderson; Rodriguez, A; Gardner. SF: Rodriguez, A; Jeter. Team RISP: 4-for-11. Team LOB: 9. | ||||||||
| Fielding | ||||||||
| DP - Jeter-Cano-Teixeira, Cano-Jeter-Teixeira | ||||||||
| Pitchers | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
| CC Sabathia (W,3-1) | 7.2 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 3.12 |
| Joba Chamberlain | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.72 |
| Sergio Mitre | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.08 |
| Pitches-Strikes - CC Sabathia 111-72, Joba Chamberlain 3-2, Sergio Mitre 11-9 | ||||||||
| Ground Balls-Fly Balls - CC Sabathia 10-6, Joba Chamberlain 1-0, Sergio Mitre 3-0 | ||||||||
| Batters Faced - CC Sabathia 34, Joba Chamberlain 1, Sergio Mitre | ||||||||
| PLAYER OF THE GAME: Nick Swisher HONORABLE MENTION: Robinson Cano |
