Yankees 6 – Orioles 3
Today the Yankees break ground on their new ballpark. Politicians will smile, as will George Steinbrenner, and everyone will applaud the first shovel into the earth.
Hours later, the Yankees will have more pressing business than a ballpark that many of them will never play in as Yankees. That’s when they will attempt to further distance themselves from the Red Sox when they take on the Orioles at Yankee Stadium.
Thanks to Johnny Damon’s two-run homer, Robinson Cano’s clutch RBI double, a solid start by Mike Mussina and stellar bullpen work, the Yankees were able to overcome a killer error by Alex Rodriguez and turn back the O’s, 6-3, in front of 52,418 last night at the Stadium.
Combined with the Red Sox’ 3-2 loss to the Tigers in Boston, the Yankees’ AL East lead swelled to three games. That matches the Yankees’ biggest advantage this season.
The Yankees tacked on two runs in the eighth when Damon tripled in a run and Derek Jeter’s sacrifice fly plated another.
Bobby Abreu had three hits and Damon drove in three runs.
When Mussina was 13-3, he was a viable Cy Young candidate. Since Mussina is 0-2 in his last three outings and 13-5 overall, his chance to win 20 games for the first time and a Cy have vanished.
While A-Rod’s sixth-inning error that killed what would have been an inning-ending double play didn’t help, Mussina gave up three runs and six hits in three-plus frames.
When he left, he was on the way to a third straight loss.
But Damon’s two-run homer off LaTroy Hawkins allowed Mussina to spit the hook on a loss. Hawkins, who gave up a leadoff single to Melky Cabrera, then watched Damon, who was in a 2-for-16 slide, loft a ball just over the right-field fence for his 17th homer that tied the score, 3-3 After Jeter grounded to shot, Abreu doubled to right-center and made third when right fielder Nick Markakis didn’t field the rebound cleanly. O’s manager Sam Perlozzo opted to walk Jason Giambi intentionally to get to A-Rod.
Hawkins’s first pitch resulted in A-Rod fouling out and set off an ocean of boos. Perlozzo summoned lefty Tim Byrdak to face Cano, and his double down the left-field line scored Abreu for a 4-3 lead.
When Mussina walked Ramon Hernandez to open the seventh, Joe Torre summoned lefty Ron Villone to face the lefthanded hitting Markakis, and he fanned for the first out. Scott Proctor, who worked 1 2/3 innings, recorded the final two outs after giving up a single to Chris Gomez.
Mariano Rivera worked the ninth for his 31st save.
O’s starter Erik Bedard didn’t allow a run through five but created problems for himself in the sixth when he walked Abreu and Giambi after Jeter led off with an infield single.
As A-Rod moved toward the plate, the Stadium came alive with a standing ovation.
With Jeter clapping at third, A-Rod dumped a single into left that scored Jeter and cut the O’s lead to 3-1.
Bedard recovered to fan Cano with a 1-2 pitch. That brought Jorge Posada to the plate and his liner was headed for the left-field corner until third baseman Melvin Mora snagged it out of the air with a leaping effort for the second out and resulted in Mora leaving the game due to an injury.
Craig Wilson offered at Bedard’s first pitch and hit a grounder to Gomez, Mora’s replacement, for the final out and leave three runners on.
The Orioles upped their lead from 1-0 to 3-0 in the sixth thanks in part to Rodriguez’ 21st error, this one on a grounder that should have started an inning-ending double play and kept the score 2-0.
Brian Roberts opened with a double to left and went to third on Mora’s single to center. After Miguel Tejada popped up to short right, Jay Gibbons’ served a 0-2 pitch into right for an RBI single and 2-0 lead.
When Mussina induced the heavy-legged Jeff Conine to hit a grounder to A-Rod, it looked as if a 5-4-3 double play was about to be turned. Instead, A-Rod bobbled the ball.
With no chance at second, A-Rod opted for the out at first and his throw pulled Wilson off the bag. The error allowed Mora to score with the O’s third run.
Kevin Millar’s 10th homer was the only run through five innings. Through five innings, Bedard didn’t allow a run, gave up three singles (two of the infield variety) and pitched out of two mild jams.