05/30: Yankees Expand on AL East Lead, Defeat Indians 10-5
Posted by: Andrew
CC Sabathia took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before attempting to barehand a comebacker. He gave up two runs in that inning, but at that point, the Yankees had a 7-0 lead and were well on their way to a 10-5 victory over the Cleveland Indians Saturday night.
The Yankees hit two solo home runs in the second inning to get on the board first. Jorge Posada hit his to right, while Nick Swisher hit one to straightaway center. Posada's home run was his first since May 2 (he was activated from the disabled list last night) and Swisher homered for the first time in nine game.
They would go on to score five more runs in the top of the fourth inning, thanks to two Indians' errors. Hideki Matsui hit a one-out double and Swisher followed with a walk. Brett Gardner then hit a groundball to first baseman Ryan Garko who proceeded to throw wide of second base, allowing all runners to be safe.
Derek Jeter then hit a two-run single and Johnny Damon also had a run-scoring single (Jeter advanced to third when right fielder Shin-Soo Choo bobbled the ball). Later, with two outs and the bases loaded, Robinson Cano drove in two runs with a single, but Alex Rodriguez, who walked, was out trying to get to third.
The two runs Sabathia gave up in the bottom of the fifth made the game 7-2. The Yankees would get one run back in the next half-inning after Damon's groundout scored a run. However, Sabathia followed by allowing a long solo home run to Grady Sizemore to lead off the bottom of the sixth.
Sabathia didn't look the same after trying to barehand the ball in the fifth inning. John Flaherty pointed out on the television broadcast that Sabathia perhaps was struggling pitching out of the stretch, as he only allowed one baserunner prior to that fateful comebacker. Nevertheless, the big lefty gave the Yankees seven innings on 113 pitches, striking out eight, walking three and allowing five hits.
The Yankees scored two more runs in the ninth to widen their lead to seven. Cano had an RBI single and Matsui had an RBI double. Cano drove in three runs on the day, while Matsui had three hits. Jeter and Damon also had two hits apiece.
Those two runs would actually turn out to be rather important, as Jose Veras had a typical meltdown in the bottom of the ninth inning. Choo homered and Ben Francisco hit an RBI double.
The Yankees had an errorless game for the 16th straight game, extending the franchise record. They are also now nine game over .500, which is their highest mark of the season. With Boston's loss, the Yankees have a 1.5-game lead in the American League East.
Phil Hughes and Carl Pavano will oppose each other on the mound tomorrow afternoon starting at 12:40.
Recap records: Patrick: 14–7, Seamus: 11–9, Andrew: 4–4.
Andrew Fletcher blogs about the Yankees regularly at Scott Proctor's Arm.
The Yankees hit two solo home runs in the second inning to get on the board first. Jorge Posada hit his to right, while Nick Swisher hit one to straightaway center. Posada's home run was his first since May 2 (he was activated from the disabled list last night) and Swisher homered for the first time in nine game.
They would go on to score five more runs in the top of the fourth inning, thanks to two Indians' errors. Hideki Matsui hit a one-out double and Swisher followed with a walk. Brett Gardner then hit a groundball to first baseman Ryan Garko who proceeded to throw wide of second base, allowing all runners to be safe.
Derek Jeter then hit a two-run single and Johnny Damon also had a run-scoring single (Jeter advanced to third when right fielder Shin-Soo Choo bobbled the ball). Later, with two outs and the bases loaded, Robinson Cano drove in two runs with a single, but Alex Rodriguez, who walked, was out trying to get to third.
The two runs Sabathia gave up in the bottom of the fifth made the game 7-2. The Yankees would get one run back in the next half-inning after Damon's groundout scored a run. However, Sabathia followed by allowing a long solo home run to Grady Sizemore to lead off the bottom of the sixth.
Sabathia didn't look the same after trying to barehand the ball in the fifth inning. John Flaherty pointed out on the television broadcast that Sabathia perhaps was struggling pitching out of the stretch, as he only allowed one baserunner prior to that fateful comebacker. Nevertheless, the big lefty gave the Yankees seven innings on 113 pitches, striking out eight, walking three and allowing five hits.
The Yankees scored two more runs in the ninth to widen their lead to seven. Cano had an RBI single and Matsui had an RBI double. Cano drove in three runs on the day, while Matsui had three hits. Jeter and Damon also had two hits apiece.
Those two runs would actually turn out to be rather important, as Jose Veras had a typical meltdown in the bottom of the ninth inning. Choo homered and Ben Francisco hit an RBI double.
The Yankees had an errorless game for the 16th straight game, extending the franchise record. They are also now nine game over .500, which is their highest mark of the season. With Boston's loss, the Yankees have a 1.5-game lead in the American League East.
Phil Hughes and Carl Pavano will oppose each other on the mound tomorrow afternoon starting at 12:40.
Recap records: Patrick: 14–7, Seamus: 11–9, Andrew: 4–4.
Andrew Fletcher blogs about the Yankees regularly at Scott Proctor's Arm.
Patrick wrote: