Game 29: New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles Recap

Alex Rodriguez made his presence known in his first at bat, hitting a three-run home run on the first pitch of his first at-bat and powering the Yankees to win, 4-0, in Baltimore Friday night.

Rodriguez took a Jeremy Guthrie fastball deep into the left field seats, hitting his 554th career home run.

The home run was also his 48th against the Orioles.

Rodriguez's home run would be all the run support CC Sabathia would need, as he threw a complete game shut out. The lefty allowed four hits over nine innings and retired 16 straight Orioles between the third and eighth innings. He struck out eight in the win.

The win breaks a streak of four winless starts for Sabathia, who moves to 2-3 on the season.

After surrendering the home run to Rodriguez, Guthrie settled down. After the first inning, the Yankees failed to score a run and only had one player reach third base.

Guthrie finished after the sixth inning, giving up seven hits but striking out eight batters - a career high.

The win tonight broke the Yankees winning streak of five straight losses. The streak was the longest under current manager Joe Girardi.

My Personal Thoughts:

1. Well CC finally looks like an ace. Tonight was the second complete game of the season for CC, but this time he got the win. He pitched well in his CG loss in Detroit, but his stuff wasn't all there. Tonight, CC was dominant. He had four pitches working tonight, and the Orioles hitters looked overmatched. Four hits in nine innings shows you something. I've thought CC's last few starts have been better, and tonight he was finally able to put it all together. I don't expect CG shutout wins each time out, but I expect quality starts like this.

2. A-Rod's The Savior! You knew A-Rod would have a good game tonight. Something just gave me the feeling he'd do something big, and we didn't have to wait. He absolutely crushed that fastball, and I didn't see any problems with the hip. He didn't look to be favoring it when he ran, batted or took the field. He didn't have to run much tonight, and I think we'll all be able to see just how much the hip is affecting him when he needs to beat out a double play. He did strike out twice, but all in all, a great return.

3. I'll take a hit with RISP for $500. The Yankees were abysmal during their losing streak with RISP - 6-for-43 to be exact. Tonight, the Yankees were 2-for-9 with RISP (including the A-Rod home run.) Those aren't amazing numbers, but the Yankees were at least able to do something with these runners. Being able to plate these guys is going to be key to get them some wins.

4. Damon keeps on hitting. He had another RBI tonight, bringing his season total to 20. This guy's playing with a bum shoulder, but somehow he's found a way to be the Yankees best and most consistent hitter.

5. Frank Cervelli = Solid Job. The kid played well tonight. He and CC teamed up to call a great game, and the strike he threw to catch Adam Jones stealing was very nice. He also picked up his first major league hit. If this kid can keep playing like this, it'll help out tremendously. I'm sure he'll be penciled in to start tomorrow.