You knew something definitive was going to happen when Alex Rodriguez stepped into the box with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth.  Hero or goat -- there's no middle ground for A-Rod.

Today he was the hero.

Rodriguez belted a game-winning grand slam into the black in centerfield, his second homer of the afternoon, as the Yankees scored 7 runs in the final two frames to defeat the O's 10-7. It was a game the Yanks desperately needed. 

Kei Igawa made his first start for the Yanks (sporting shades on the mound) and didn't impress.  He gave the Yanks quantity (sort of) since he was the first starter to go at least five innings this season, but didn't provide quality.  His pitches were up, his control was terrible and he gave up two homers, but his poor outing will take a backseat to A-Rod's heroics.

The Good:

A-Rod.  He almost single-handedly willed the Yankees to victory going 3-4 with 2 dingers, 6 RBIs and 4 runs scored.  His two-run blast in the bottom of the first gave the Yanks a short-lived 2-1 lead and his grand slam gave the Yanks the improbable come-from-behind win.

Jason Giambi.  The Giambino pulled the Yankees to within one run with a three-run shot in the bottom of the eighth.  Giambi will probably never be a .300 hitter again, but it's good to see he can still turn on a pitch.

The Bullpen.  Once again the bullpen was called upon to help keep the Yankees in the game and once again they responded.  Brian Bruney, Mike Myers, Luis Vizcaino and Mariano Rivera pitched 4 innings of one-hit ball.  Rivera earned his first win of the season.

The Bad:

Kei Igawa.  The newly acquired lefty was awful in his pinstripe debut.  He looked lost at times and struggled nearly every inning.  His final line is becoming common among the starters: 5 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP and 2 HR given up.  He also committed an error on an easy come-backer in the second inning.

Melky Cabrera.  Melky got his first hit of the season, but continues to struggle.  He looked especially confused while striking out in the ninth.  It's still very early, but Cabrera seems to be suffering through a sophomore jinx.

The Ugly:

The entire top of the second inning.  After A-Rod's blast gave the Yanks the lead, Igawa gave it right back plus some.  He gave up three straight singles to begin the inning and then gave up a parachute double off the bat of Melvin Mora.  Bobby Abreu had Mora out at second, but skipped the throw to Jeter as all three runs scored. 

Hideki Matsui.  Matsui left the game in the fourth inning with a strained hamstring.  Miguel Cairo took over for him in left.  Not good.  Hopefully it's nothing serious since the Yankees are already banged up in the outfield.  Johnny Damon came into the ballgame in the eighth, but he is still nursing a strained calf.  I hope Bernie Williams isn't waiting for the phone to ring because he isn't an option although a three second chant of "We want Bernie" surfaced when Cairo came in to pinch-hit.

The win evens the Yankees record at 2-2 on the young season as they head into the rubber game of the series on Sunday.  Darrell Rasner will get the nod as he tries to become the first Yankee starter to earn a victory this year.  The Orioles will counter with last season's 15-game winner Erik Bedard.

But, today it's all about A-Rod.  His performance energized the Yankees and silenced the critics.

At least for one day.

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