Robinson Cano, hitting in the second spot in the order, drove in three runs as the Yankees overcame a first inning injury to starter Joba Chamberlain to defeat the Orioles, 7-4.
Cano drove in the first run of the Yankees' four-run first inning against Baltimore starter Adam Eaton (2-5). Mark Teixeira then doubled home Cano, doubling the Yankees lead.
Melky Cabrera would extend the lead to four with a double that scored Teixeira and Nick Swisher.
In the second inning, Cano connected for a two-run shot off of Eaton, extending the Yankees lead to 6-0.
Righthander Joba Chamberlain did not make it out of the first inning because of an injury to his right knee. Baltimore centerfielder Adam Jones lined a ball back at Chamberlain, which hit him in the knee. Chamberlain was able to throw Jones out, and convinced Joe Girardi and Yankees trainer Gene Monahan to let him continue to pitch.
After giving up two straight singles, Girardi came to the mound and removed Chamberlain, who walked away gingerly. Alfredo Aceves (3-0) came in to earn a win in relief.
X-Rays on Chamberlain's leg were negative, and he is listed as day-to-day with a right knee bruise.
Game Notes:
Mariano Rivera, who came in for the save, recorded his 57th save against Baltimore, the most among any team...This is the first time the Yankees have won nine games in a row since June 5-14, 2007...Aubrey Huff was booed every time he came up to the plate in tonight's game. The booing stemmed from an incident May 10, when he made two exaggerated fist pumps toward Chamberlain after hitting a home run off the righthander.
Box Score:
Jeter: 1-for-4, R
Cano: 3-for-4, 3 RBI, 2 R
Teixeira: 2-for-3 RBI, R
Rodriguez: 0-for-4
Matsui: 1-for-4, SOLO HR
Swisher: 1-for-2, R, 2 BB
Cabrera: 1-for-4, 2 RBI
Cervelli: 0-for-4 (maybe John Sterling will hop off of the Cervelli Train for one night...maybe)
Gardner: 0-for-3, R
Chamberlain: 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 K (left after being struck by an Adam Jones line drive - day-to-day with a right knee bruise)
Aceves (W, 3-0): 3 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 K (threw 50 pitches, 32 for strikes and gets his third win of the season)
Albaladejo: 2 1/3 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K's (gave up two home runs in those two innings - not a good night of work)
Veras: 1 2/3 IP, 2 H (12 of his 22 pitches were strikes)
Rivera (S, 9): 1 IP, 1 K
My Thoughts:
1. Who needs Johnny Damon?
Robbie Cano had a great night in that #2 hole. There must be something with that spot. Step in the #2 hole, and you're going to produce. Cano had been slumping coming into this homestand, with his average dropping below .300 for the first time all season. But he's been hot since the Yankees have come home, and his average is back up above .300. It hasn't only been Cano, but the whole lineup has been doing its job. Cano just had the superior night.
2. How serious is the injury to Joba?
Well, it seemed like the Yankees were getting healthy until this unfortunate accident. While the X-rays were negative, there's no way of knowing the extent of Joba's injury. The Yankees don't think it's too serious - Girardi said he took Joba out because of the way he ran towards the first base line, not because of the pitching. The team doesn't seem to be worried about it, but you have to wonder if someone from AAA will be getting an emergency start Tuesday night in Texas just to make sure Joba's ok. We all know how much the team protects its young starters.
3. Winning is nice...
The Yankees have played very well during their nine-game winning streak. Every hitter is producing, and the Yankees pitchers are keeping other teams at bay. If I can be nitpicky, it seems the Yankees are sometimes letting teams back into the game. Tonight they jumped out to 6-0 and 7-1 leads, but they let Baltimore chip away and make it a slightly uncomfortable 7-4 win. I know there's supreme confidence going around that clubhouse, and it seems this team is playing loose and having fun.
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