CLEVELAND — Alex Rodriguez had two
hits, but not homer No. 600, to support another sharp outing by a
resurgent A.J. Burnett, and the New York Yankees beat the Cleveland
Indians 8-0 Wednesday night.
Burnett (9-8) earned his third win in
four starts, the only blemish coming in a start in which he cut his
hands hitting a door out of frustration. On Wednesday, he allowed seven
hits over 6 1/3 innings as the Yankees improved the best record in the
majors with their sixth win in eight games — and AL-leading ninth
shutout.
Mark Teixeira had a two-run single and
Brett Gardner a pair of run-scoring singles as the Yankees built a 7-0
lead. Robinson Cano hit his 19th homer leading off the fourth to make it
8-0.
Rodriguez didn't come close to getting
his elusive 600th homer, though he went 2-for-5 with a run-scoring
single in the first inning off Fausto Carmona (10-8).
Each time Rodriguez strode to the
plate, hundreds of fans left their seats and jammed a walkway between
the left-field pole and the bleachers with hopes of catching the
historic homer. They walked away disappointed each time.
So did A-Rod, except for his single
and a sixth-inning double in which his slide knocked the second-base bag
out of the ground. He flipped his bat after striking out with the bases
loaded on a 3-2 pitch to end New York's three-run third.
Most of the crowd of 22,965 left after Rodriguez flied out to right to end the eighth inning.
Rodriguez's sharp grounder up the
middle on a 3-1 pitch in the first scored Teixeira for a 1-0 lead.
Teixeira was on a second with a double.
Curtis Granderson had two hits
including an RBI triple off Carmona, giving him a .444 (16-for-36)
average against the right-hander.
Burnett struck out seven and walked
three as he continued his roller-coaster season. The right-hander opened
the year 4-0 and had a 6-2 record after beating the Indians on May 30
in New York. The 33-year-old then lost five consecutive decisions before
his recent resurgence.
Burnett finally won in Cleveland. He
had been 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA in four previous starts at Progressive
Field, none of them with New York. He threw five scoreless innings
before being lifted due to a rain delay Friday in a 7-1 win over Kansas
City.
Joba Chamberlain came on after
Burnett issued a one-out walk to Andy Marte in the seventh. He balked
Marte to second, but got the next two batters easily. Sergio Mitre
worked the eighth and ninth to complete the eight-hitter.
Carmona was pounded for seven runs
and 10 hits over 2 2/3 innings. It was the worst start of the season by
the AL All-Star who was looking to win four in a row for first time
since finishing the 2007 season with five consecutive wins.
Rodriguez hit his 501st homer off
Carmona on Aug. 10, 2007, and followed with two more the next night in
Cleveland — and has since gone 9-for-45 without a homer in his last 12
games at Progressive Field.
Notes
Rain delayed the start 42
minutes. … Cleveland traded 3B Jhonny Peralta to Detroit just before
the scheduled start, getting Class A LHP Giovanni Soto in return. …
Indians RHP Kerry Wood, out since July 11 with a blister on his right
index finger, is scheduled to throw one inning on a rehab assignment
Thursday at Double-A Akron. The closer could be activated this weekend.
… RHP Dustin Moseley will make his first start for the Yankees on
Thursday. He is starting in place LHP Andy Pettitte, who is on the DL
with a strained groin. Mitre made the first spot start for Pettitte but
struggled.