I can really get used to this.
Andy Pettitte recovered from a rocky beginning, Robinson Cano banged out three hits and drove in three and the bullpen continued its excellence with three innings of one-hit ball as the
Yanks blasted the Red Sox 10-3 in Boston. The BoSox jumped out to a 2-0 first inning lead, but the Bombers chipped away with a run in the third and two more in the fourth. Then the Yanks erupted for four runs in the sixth and put the game on ice with three more in the eighth.
Newcomers Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte saw their first action in pinstripes (OK, the road grays) and contributed. Nady walked and scored a run and Marte struck out David Ortiz in the seventh with runners on first and second. To
make room for X-Man and Marte, the Yanks sent Brett Gardner back to Scranton and LaTroy Hawkins was designated for assignment.
And a Red Sox-Yankees game wouldn't be complete without some fireworks. Craig Hansen drilled Alex Rodriguez in the left arm in the eighth. Retribution for Kevin Youkilis on Friday night? Parties involved are leaning toward
no (and Hansen's outing was wild -- he walked three, hit A-Rod and uncorked a wild pitch in 2/3 of an inning), but use your eyes, your common sense. It looked like a perfect set-up. And yeah, both benches were warned again after the play.
The Good:Andy Pettitte. It wasn't exactly a tour de force, but Pettitte got the job done. Pettitte wasn't helped by A-Rod's error in the first inning and it helped the Red Sox take an early 2-0 lead. But the old lefty battled and gave the Yanks a chance to fight back. The BoSox had at least one runner on in every one of Pettitte's six innings, but No. 46 allowed only one run the rest of the way -- a solo homer to J.D. Drew in his final inning of work. Pettitte won his third in a row and moved his record to 12-7 with this: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R (1 earned), 3 BB, 7 K, 1 HR.
Robinson Cano. I'm starting to run out of superlatives for Cano. Robbie was "held in check" Friday night -- he only managed one hit. It was a different story Saturday afternoon. Cano blasted a homer into Fenway's version of the black in center to tie the score at 2-2 in the fourth. Canu then drove in the final runs of the game with a two-run double in the eighth to give the Yanks the 10-3 lead. Cano is hitting .480 in his past seven games and has pushed his overall average to .270. I'm tellin ya -- he's hot! Cano finished 3 for 4 with a walk, a run scored and 3 RBIs.
Melky Cabrera. The Melk-Man is having an off year, but he's showing signs of breaking out of his doldrums. Cabrera reached on a bunt single with one out in the fourth, swiped second and then came around to score on Johnny Damon's single to give the Yanks a 3-2 lead. Melky was also a catalyst during the Yanks four-run sixth, doubling to left to put runners on second and third with no outs. It's not as dramatic as Cano's resurgence, but Melky has recored two hits in six of his past 10 games. Keep grinding, Melky. Cabrera finished 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and his 8th stolen base.
The Bad:Jose Veras. It's not that Veras was terrible, but he forced Joe Girardi to dip into the pen when he shouldn't have. Veras started the seventh inning with the Yanks up 7-3 and after striking out Kevin Cash, he walked Dustin Pedroia and allowed a single by Youkilis. I think Girardi would have normally stayed with Veras, but it was an opportunity to use the lefty Marte against Ortiz. Hang in there, Jose. It's no big deal. Veras' line: .1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.
The Ugly:Cramp! It looked like the Baseball Gods were about to strike the Yanks with another injury in the eighth. Damon grounded a ball to second base, but something happened when he stepped out of the box and he hobbled down the line. My mind began to race with roster possibilities if Damon was headed for another stint on the disabled list. Luckily, it turned out to be nothing more than a cramp. You had me worried for a second there, JD. Remember to stay hydrated next time.
The Yanks go for another sweep Sunday night and will give the ball to Sidney Ponson (6-1, 4.02 ERA). The BoSox will counter with Jon Lester (8-3, 3.20 ERA). Ponson has been inconsistent since coming to the Bronx in June, but he's been a good luck charm of sorts. The Yankees are 4-0 in Ponson's four starts in pinstripes. But the Red Sox seem to have Ponson's number. Check out this stats Boston hitters have against Ponson: Manny Ramirez (.404, 1 HR, 11 RBI), Jason Varitek (.317, 2 HR, 5 RBI), David Ortiz (.444, 2 HR, 8 RBI) and Kevin Youkilis (.444, 0 HR, 2 RBI). Lester is having a dynamite July (1.90 ERA in three starts) and hasn't been tagged with an "L" since May 25 at the Oakland Athletics. The young lefty pitched a complete game shutout against the Bombers at Yankee Stadium on July 3.
But the Yanks are a different team now.
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