Ichiro Get's No. 4,000, Yanks Win On Soriano's Late Homerun

Prior to tonight, only two players in baseball history had collected 4,000 career hits. Ichiro Suzuki is now the third player to reach that feat.

Ichiro came into the game with 3,999 hits, and lined a single to left field in his first at-bat of the game, in classic Ichiro style, shooting the ball to left field past a diving Brett Lawrie at third base.

In a surreal moment, the entire New York Yankees dugout flooded out onto the field to congratulate Ichiro on his accomplishment. The hit also moved him past a man named Lou Gehrig on the all-time hits list.

"It was supposed to be a number that was special to me, but what happened tonight, I wasn't expecting," said Ichiro.

"When my teammates came out to first base, that was very special. The fans, I wasn't expecting so much joy and happiness from them. That's what made it very special tonight; not just the number, but all the things that came with it were very special."

To the game, Adam Warren got the start for the Yankees, making just the second start of his Major League career. His stuff looked good early, but putting away the final out of the inning seemed to be an issue.

Warren gave up the first run of the game in the top of the second inning on an RBI single to right field by Anthony Gose. Ichiro came up firing from right, but the throw one-hopped over the glove of Austin Romine at the plate, taking away any play at the plate.

Romine would come back to tie the game in the bottom half of the inning, missing a three-run homerun by a matter of feet, but with the ball caught at the wall, Eduardo Nunez tagged and scored from third base.

Curtis Granderson put the Yankees in the lead in the 4th inning on an RBI single to right field after Robinson Cano doubled, scoring from second on the base hit.

Josh Thole lead off the 4th inning with a homerun off Warren, who was taken out a couple pitches later after only 61 pitches. Warren was on a 75-pitch limit coming into the game, and throwing a lot of pitches early in the game forced Yankees manager Joe Girardi to pull him after 3 plus innings.

"The biggest thing was just try to go as long as I could," Warren said. "I really wasn't sure how long I could go, but I just tried to go as long as I could and give the team a chance to win."

David Huff took over from there, and from there, he literally took over the game. Huff gave the Yankees five very solid innings, giving up only  one hit, while walking four and striking out two on 70 pitches.

"We've had to use our bullpen a lot, so it was really important for our guys," Girardi said. "Three or four guys got a night off, which was important moving forward. Just an outstanding performance by Huff."

With the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the 8th inning, Cano ripped a two-out single into right field, then Alfonso Soriano, who was 0-for-17 coming into the at-bat, launched a go-ahead, two-run homerun off R.A. Dickey to give the Yanks a 4-2 lead.

"I said, 'This is the chance now to do something impressive,'" said Soriano. "Every game is very important for us. I just wanted to see a good one and make a good swing, and that's what happened. He threw me a good one and I made a good swing."

Mariano Rivera entered the game in the 9th inning, and after giving up a one-out double to Rajai Davis, Rivera picked off Davis at second base for the second out of the 9th, then struck out Edwin Encarnacion looking to end the ballgame.

Huff picked up the win, Mariano took home the save, and overall, the Yankees have won four in a row, and 10 of the last 14 games, as well as 12 straight against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium.

"It's great. It's a long season," Soriano said. "Sometimes we have a bad week or two weeks, but we come back from that. I think the lineup we have now is very strong, and I hope the offense keeps producing like we're producing right now."

In the second inning, Jayson Nix took a knuckleball from Dickey off his left hand. He would leave the game immediately after, and x-rays would show that he suffered a fracture on that left hand. You can click here for the full story.

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Nix Has A Fractured Left Hand, Could Be Done For The Season

Jayson Nix walked it off for the New York Yankees Tuesday night, and Wednesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays, Nix walked off the field for possibly the final time this season.

Nix was hit on the left hand by a knuckleball from R.A. Dickey in the bottom of the second inning. Once he reached first base, he quickly called out Yankees trainer Steve Donohue, then proceeded to remove himself from the ball game. Mark Reynolds replaced Nix as a pinch-runner.

X-Rays on his hand came back showing a fracture on his left hand, a break that could keep him out of the lineup for up to six weeks, and this late in the season, he could possibly be out for the remainder of the Yankees' season.

Losing Nix is a tough blow for the Yankees. Manager Joe Girardi calls Nix "a baseball player". He is, for the most part, reliable in the field all around the diamond. At times, he can swing the bat, and had been doing so lately.

"I feel terrible," Girardi said. "Obviously he's got a broken hand and he's going to be out for a while. I'm not sure what exactly we're going to do, but I feel really bad."

No move has been announced yet, but with Derek Jeter header to Scranton to begin his rehab assignment tomorrow, he likely won't be back by this Friday when the Yankees start a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays down in St. Petersburg.

Jeter is expected to play five inning for Triple-A Scranton on Thursday, then maybe play another game in Scranton on Friday. Until Jeter does come back, David Adams would seem like the only option the Yankees could call up to fill in for Nix.

Nix had already spent a good chunk of time on the DL this season with a hamstring injury. He's played 86 games for the Bombers, batting .236 with three homeruns and 24 RBIs.

"I always talk about Nixy, he's a guy who does things right," Girardi said. "Maybe it's not always going to show up in the box score, all the things that he contributes, but he's a guy that just makes good decisions and does things right."

By the way, this is the 200th post on the Yanks Beat Blog this season! So, at least there's that to be happy about. And thanks to all of you that have been reading along all season.

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Warren Get's Spot Start, Ichiro Goes For 4,000 Hits

Whether it's because Alex Rodriguez is back in the lineup or not, the New York Yankees are playing very good baseball right now. Winners of three in a row, and 9 of their last 12 games, the Yankees are suddenly looking like a team that could compete for the second wild card spot.

The Yanks are coming off a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday, in which they came away with a pair of victories, winning game one thanks to a go-ahead three-run homerun by Chris Stewart, and a walk-off single by Jayson Nix in the nightcap.

With two games down and two more to go in this four-game set, the Yankees will get another chance on Wednesday to continue to build their case for a string playoff run down the stretch in September.

"I think we're kind of creeping [in the standings] a little bit, but we've got a long way to go, we've got a lot of games," Nix said Tuesday. "I think each game is very important, and we know that."

Coming into the game, Ichiro is needing only one more hit to reach the 4,000 plateau, and become only the third player all-time to reach the historic mark. After getting to 3,999 in game one yesterday, he sat out game two, not getting a chance to collect one more hit.

It's not just the 4,000; it's that you're getting a hit in a game," Ichiro said Tuesday. "If you don't produce, you're not going to play in games. Producing in games is what's good for me. Four thousand is just as important as any other number, for me."

Tonight's Lineup vs Toronto:

Gardner DH
Ichiro RF
Cano 2B
Soriano LF
Granderson CF
Nunez SS
Overbay 1B
Nix 3B
Romine C
Warren RHP

Pitching Preview:

Tuesday's doubleheader used up Ivan Nova and Phil Hughes, so in an attempt to save the arms in the rotation, Yankees manager Joe Girardi will call on Adam Warren for the spot start tonight against the Blue Jays.

Used a the Yankees long-relief arm out of the bullpen for most of the season, Warren hasn't taken the mound as a starter for the Bombers yet this season. Tonight will mark only the second starting his Major League career, with the first coming against the Chicago White Sox on June 29th of last season.

Warren didn't fare out too well in that only start last year, as we wound up permitting six runs in just 2 1/3 innings. But as the long-man this year, Warren has proven himself well, with a 3.57 ERA with 46 strikeouts over 58 innings.

Warren and the Yankees will be taking on the 2012 NL Cy Young award winning R.A. Dickey. Dickey was traded to Toronto in a blockbuster deal this past winter, being a move that hasn't exactly panned out for the last place Blue Jays.

The 38-year-old knuckleballer has been nothing like he was with the Mets in 2012, going 9-11 with a 4.49 ERA. His biggest problem this season has been giving up the long ball, as Dickey has served up 27 this year, good for 1.4 homers per nine innings, up from 0.9 in 2012.

Dickey's last start was Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays, when he gave up another homerun, permitting four runs in the loss. On the bright side, Dockey has lasted at least seven inning in his last three starts.

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The A-Rod Sage Took More Twists And Turns On Monday

Alex Rodriguez told us to expect a new story every day, and he wasn't lying when he said that.

A day after reports surfaced that A-Rod had filed a medical grievance against the New York Yankees, as well as reports that Major League Baseball offered A-Rod a 50-game suspension back in April, coming a day after A-Rod's lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, fired comments towards the Yankees on Saturday that team prez. Randy Levine told A-Rod's hip surgeon, Dr. Brian Kelley, the if A-Rod never played again, Levine would be fine with that.

All of this coming just a day after reports came about, saying that A-Rod took evidence from the Biogenesis clinic in South Miami and leaked information after Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun, as well as Rodriguez's own teammate, Francisco Cervelli.

Yeah, I know, there's been a lot happening lately, but I still haven't even told you what went down today in the drama that is know as "As The Alex Turns".

Early Monday morning, Tacopina received a letter from MLB executive VP Robert Manfred, while Tacopina was on the "Today" show. In the letter, Manfred agreed to waive the confidentiality clause written into the league's drug-testing agreement with the MLB Players Association -- something Tacopina had suggested would be a possible course of action.

Manfred was suggesting more than the drug-testing information, suggesting all of evidence collected in the Biogenesis case as it concerns A-Rod could be released for the whole world to see, including "all documents, records, communications, text messages, and instant messages relating to Rodriguez's treatment by Anthony Bosch."

"Listen, we would love nothing more than to be able to discuss the testing history, the scientific evidence and the tests of Alex Rodriguez under this JDA drug program, nothing more," Tacopina said in response to the letter.

Tacopina would later go on the release a written statement, calling the letter "a publicity stunt."

"Such a waiver would require PA to be party of the agreement and signatures," Tacopina said in the statement. "Nothing but a trap hoping I would sign knowing that I couldn't and in fact would have me breaching the JDA agreement."

The New York Daily News was able to obtain a copy of the letter, in which Tacopina says he is not able to talk about the specifics of the investigation because of the confidentiality clause.

"I will make Manfred a deal if he, in writing, waives the confidentiality clause, and agrees that it would not be a breach of the confidentiality clause, if he allows us to discuss exactly what he wants us to discuss, including the testing result, including the specifics of the tests, the results, we would be happy to discuss it. It would be my pleasure to discuss it. I would love to discuss it. But the minute I discuss it, I'm in violation of the confidentiality clause of the JDA," Tacopina said.

According to the Daily News, Manfred responded in the letter.

"While we believe that your public comments are already in breach of the confidentiality provisions of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program (the "Program"), we will agree to waive those provisions as they apply to both Rodriguez and the Office of Commissioner of Baseball with respect to Rodriguez's entire history under the Program, including, but not limited to, his testing history, test results, violations of the Program, and all information and evidence relating to Rodriguez's treatment by Anthony Bosch, Anthony Galea and Victor Conte. Specifically, both Rodriguez and the Office of the Commissioner will be permitted to publicly disclose information and documents relating to:

"1. their results; 2. All drug tests that were conducted on Rodriguez under the Program and All prior violations of the Program committed by Rodriguez; 3. All documents, records, communications, text messages, and instant messages relating to Rodriguez's treatment by Anthony Bosch; 4. All documents relating to Rodriguez's treatment by Anthony Galea and Victor Conte; and 5. All documents relating to the issue of whether Rodriguez obstructed the Office of the Commissioner's investigation."

Then, later in the day, we were led to this story. As mentioned previously, A-Rod has already began the process to file a medical grievance against the Yankees, and now his legal team is preparing to file a medical malpractice suit against the Yankees' team doctor, says Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York.

A-Rod and his lawyers have believed that they have enough evidence to prove their claims that Yankees team doctor Chris Ahmad had misdiagnosed A-Rod's hip injury during last October during the playoffs.

Marchand says that A-Rod and his team have yet to file the lawsuit, as they continue to prepare their case.

In those playoffs, A-Rod went 3-for-25 without an extra-base hit, while striking out 12 times. His poor play eventually led to Yankees manager Joe Girardi benching and pinch-hitting for during the ALDS and ALCS.

In a game against the Baltimore Orioles on Oct. 10, Girardi pinch hit for Rodriguez for the first time, using Raul Ibanez, who would go on to hit the game tying and walk-off homeruns for the Yankees.

Following the game, A-Rod told the Yankees his previously injured right hip was feeling off. He went for an MRI on the hip, then was later deemed to need surgery on his left hip.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman defended the Yankees doctors in a statement.

"Our trainers and doctors will continue to provide the best medical care possible," Cashman said. "That is for Alex as well as anybody else regardless of what they say and what they do. They're going to continue to do that for Alex as well as anybody else on the team. Is it an unusual circumstance? Absolutely. Are any of these people happy with these allegations that continue to get thrown? It's odd. It's odd and it's false, but we still have to go through the motions."

The Yankees also released a statement on the potential malpractice suit:

"We relied upon Dr. Christopher Ahmad and the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital for medical diagnosis, opinions and treatment. The Yankees neither had any complaints from Alex Rodriguez pertaining to his left hip during the 2012 regular season and the Yankees postseason, nor did the Yankees receive any diagnosis pertaining to his left hip during that same period of time. Given the various allegations that have been made by Alex Rodriguez and his counsel, if you have any medical questions they should be directed to the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Dr. Christopher Ahmad."

Clearly, no ones know what direction this whole mess will end up going, and all we can do it watch it play out as more and more stories continue to fly come out to the world.

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Alfonso Soriano Named AL Player Of The Week

New York Yankees outfielder Alfonso Soriano has been named the American player of the week after he hit .484 (15-for-31) with 5 homeruns, 18 RBIs and 9 runs scored over the past seven days.

Soriano begin his historic run last Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels, going 3-for-6 with a pair of homeruns and six RBIs. He followed up the next day by going 3-for-3 at the plate, with two more homeruns and another seven RBIs.

Although he only drive home one run on Thursday, Soriano still went 4-for-5 with a run scored in the Yankees 8-4 loss to the Angels. He opened up this past weekend's series against the Boston Red Sox by collecting three more hits, including a three-run homerun, picking up four more RBIs.

Soriano finished Saturday's ballgame, in which the Yankees lost 6-1, going 2-for-4, as well as raising his batting average to .329. But he couldn't finish off the week on a good note, dropping his average back down to .306 after an 0-for-6 effort Sunday night.

Soriano's 18 RBIs over a five-game span last week put him into the history books, tying the great Mickey Mantle for the most RBIs all-time over the span of five-games.

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A-Rod Could Have Taken A 50-Game Suspension

A couple weeks ago, Major League Baseball handed down a 211-game suspension on Alex Rodriguez, to which A-Rod is currently appealing, as well as playing in games for the New York Yankees. As Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports, that 211-game suspension could have been far less than 211-games.

According to Rosenthal, back in April, MLB "floated a 50-game suspension. Rodriguez, however, was not willing to work toward such a deal and hired new representation because he wanted to mount a more aggressive fight."

"At different points, it could have been way, way less than where it is now," said one source to Rosenthal.

Of course, Major League Baseball is disputing that it ever offered A-Rod a 50-game suspension, with one source telling Rosenthal that it was Rodriguez who actively pursued such a deal, only to be denied.

If A-Rod had negotiated a 50-game ban with MLB, he could have served the entire penalty on the disabled list while recovering from the hip surgery he underwent in January. He didn't join the Yankees until August 5th, missing the team's first 110 games.

A-Rod is currently appealing his 211-game suspension given to him by MLB, but a decision by arbitrator Frederick Horowitz is not expected to come down until this offseason, letting Rodriguez continue to play for the rest of this season.

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A-Rod Files Medical Grievance Against The Yankees

Alex Rodriguez and legal team have started the process of filing a medical grievance against the New York Yankees within the last two weeks, reports Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York. A-Rod's lawyers contacted the MLB Players Association earlier this month to formally begin the process, claiming that the Yankees have mishandled his medical treatment since the postseason last October.

These reports come just a day after A-Rod's lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, accused the team of hiding A-Rod's MRI results of his hip, and continued to play him in the 2012 postseason despite having a torn labrum in his left hip.

“They rolled him out there like an invalid and made him look like he was finished as a ballplayer,” Tacopina said. A-Rod would eventually have hip surgery in January.

Rodriguez's side is also sending out claims that Yankees team president Randy Levine told A-Rod's hip surgeon, Dr. Brian Kelly, that if Rodriguez never saw the field again Levine would be fine with it. Kelly relayed that message on to A-Rod and was told that it gave him chills.

Of course, Levine and the Yankees have denied all the allegations directed towards them.

According to the reports by Marchand, "Rodriguez's attorneys contacted the players' association via a phone call within the last two weeks, sources said. Notifying the union is the first step that could eventually lead to a formal grievance between the Yankees and Rodriguez in front of MLB arbitrator Frederic Horowitz.

"Horowitz is already set to hear Rodriguez's appeal of his 211-game suspension for violating MLB's joint drug agreement and collective bargaining agreement. That arbitration is not expected to conclude until November, at the earliest.

"Disagreements between clubs and players are brought to the union's attention regularly, but generally are kept private. There are four main steps in the process. The player and/or his representatives contact the players' association about their disagreement with the club. The union does its own research before contacting MLB officials. MLB and the union work with the club and player involved to figure out a settlement to avoid a hearing. If the two sides can't mediate the matter themselves, it is brought in front of Horowitz to decide.

"An MLB spokesman said no one at the league office has officially been contacted by the union about Rodriguez's claims. The Yankees also have not been told about the grievance process beginning. A union spokesman said, as a practice, the players' association does not discuss when it is notified about disagreements between a team and a player."

Rodriguez has said numerous times that he believes the Yankees and MLB are conspiring to keep him off the field, and save the Yankees of the nearly $90 million remaining on his contract for the next four years. He was recently suspended for a record 211-games for his role in the Biogenesis scandal, but is allowed to play during the appeal process, as part of MLB's Collective Bargaining Agreement.

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Sabathia Faces Red Sox In Sunday Night Showdown

Even with their best pitcher, Hiroki Kuroda, on the mound, the New York Yankees failed to walk away with a Saturday afternoon against the Boston Red Sox. Sloppy play, poor offensive production and a pitching effort from Kuroda that wasn't his best, the Yankees dropped yesterday's game to the Red Sox, 6-1.

A throwing error in the 4th inning would turn out to be a costly play, when a double play ball to Lyle Overbay, instead turned into a run, no outs, and eventually three-runs in the inning.

The top three hitters in the Yankees lineup -- Brett Gardner, Ichiro and Robinson Cano -- combined to go 0-for-11, with 11 groundball outs. Alfonso Soriano and Overbay were the only productive hitters in the lineup, with Soriano collecting a pair of hits to go along with Overbay's three.

With the loss, the Yankees fell back to 8 1/2 game behind the Red Sox in the American League East, putting themselves into an even deeper hole to climb out of in order to clinch a playoff spot this season, and avoid missing the postseason for the first time since 2008.

Tonight's Lineup, 8:05 EST @ Fenway Park:

Gardner CF
Suzuki RF
Cano 2B
Soriano LF
Rodriguez 3B
Granderson DH
Nunez SS
Overbay 1B
Stewart C
Sabathia LHP

Pitching Preview:

With Kuroda gaining all the attention as the frontman of the Yankees' rotation, CC Sabathia has been doing everything he can regain his title as the Yankees No. 1.

Sabathia's season has been full of ups and downs, but he just hasn't been able to take those ups, and build off of them to create an extended run of success.

"I've had some big games here, I've had some bad ones, but, you know, hopefully [Sunday] is a good one," Sabathia said.

CC's 4.66 ERA this season is higher than it's ever been since joining the Yankees, but he is coming off a pair of good starts, having allowed just five five earned runs in his last two starts, totaling 13 1/3 innings.

"You know when I'm out there and I'm playing, I'm not thinking about what people think about me or what's going on," Sabathia said. "I'm thinking about trying to making a good pitch and helping the team win. I get to go out there every time out and try to change people's opinion of me, so hopefully I can do that."

Sabathia has a 6.23 ERA in three starts against Boston this season, permitting seven runs in five innings the last time he faced them on Sunday Night Baseball in July. He also hasn't had a lot of success at Fenway Park in his career, piling up a 4.93 ERA over 11 starts.

Matching up against Sabathia will be Red Sox right-hander Ryan Dempster, who will be making his third start against the Bombers this season. Dempster rebounded after two poor outings, giving up one run over seven innings against the Blue Jays.

Dempster last faced the Yankee July 21st at Fenway, when he tosses 5 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on six hits, while walking four and striking out four.

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Sloppy Play Dooms Yanks in 6-1 Loss To The Red Sox

Coming off Friday night's big 10-3 win in the series opener against the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees sent out their ace, Hiroki Kuroda, to the mound in hopes he could continue dominance on the mound against Boston.

Unfortunately for Kuroda and the Yankees, it would not be their day, as a poor offensive showing from the top of the lineup, coupled with sloppy play in the field, Kuroda came home with his 8th defeat of the season in the Yankees 6-1 loss Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park.

"We can't dig ourselves in a hole for no reason," said Yankees first baseman Lyle Overbay. "This is playoff atmosphere. This is how we've got to play. We've got to be sound, and those are things that we can't have."

Things were running smoothly for Kuroda through the first three inning, as he and Red Sox starter John Lackey were matching each other pitch for pitch through three innings, with both pitchers giving up just a couple runs apiece.

But when the Red Sox finally jumped on the scoreboard, it was because of a play to would prove to haunt the Yankees.

Boston had runners on the corners with one away when Stephen Drew hit a groundball to Overbay, who would send the throw high to second, pulling Eduardo Nunez away from the bag, and Nunez's throw would arrive late to first, scoring David Ortiz from third on the play with every reaching safely.

The play that could have ended to inning, turned into a run, and more, for the Red Sox.

"I just didn't finish the throw. It's frustrating, because I feel like if I get a good grip on the ball, I can throw the ball," Overbay said. "I just didn't finish the throw. It ended up costing us."

A couple pitches later, Mike Carp, who was on second base, and Drew took off for a double steal, with Alex Rodriguez being late to cover the third base bag, again, all the runners were safe, setting up a second and third situation with still only one out.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia would strike out swinging, then Will Middlebrooks sent a groundball up the middle that was stopped by Robinson Cano, but with no play to make, everybody was safe and the second run of the inning would score.

Then immediately that, Jacoby Ellsbury came up with runners on the corners and he lined a single into right field, scoring Drew from third base, to put the Red Sox up 3-0.

"That fourth inning, I wish I could take that back," Kuroda said. "I feel bad about it. ... With the runners on, I wanted to minimize the damage. But I couldn't do that."

Kuroda was knocked out of the game in the bottom of the 6th inning after dishing out a one-out single off the Monster to Saltalamacchia, driving home Daniel Nava from third. Following a strikeout by Middlebrooks, Ellsbury drove an RBI double to right field, making it a 5-1 game, ending Kuroda's day.

Kuroda left with two outs in the 6th, having given up five runs, only three earned, tying a season-high with five runs allowed, and Kuroda also gave up a season-high 11 hits on the day. He clearly wasn't at his best, and the long 4th inning did a lot of damage to him.

"I still think he still made good pitches and he could have got out of the inning," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "I think that inning took a toll on him as the game went on, and he ended up having to throw extra pitches. In a game like that, that's a big deal. It changes the complexion of the game."

Adam Warren took over for Kuroda in the 6th, and gave up solo homerun to David Ortiz in the bottom of the 7th, and ran into a mess of trouble in the 8th, loading the base with two-outs, before Girardi replaced him with Boone Logan, who retired the only batter he faced.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Yankees showed nothing of the 10-run offense that was put on display the night before. The only run to score was Lyle Overbay, who would touch home on a groundout to the second baseman by Ichiro.

The Yankees top three hitters in the lineup -- Brett Gardner, Ichiro, Cano and Vernon Wells -- combined to go 1-for-12 with 11 groundball outs, doing absolutely nothing to help the Yankees put runs on the board.

Alfonso Soriano and Over were the only Yankees hitters that were able to do anything with the bat, as Soriano would finish the game 2-for-4, raising his batting average to .329, and he's 15 his last 21 at-bats, and Overbay finished to game 3-for-4, with a two-out double in the 9th.

CC Sabathia takes the mound in the rubber game if this three-game series tomorrow night on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. He'll be opposed by Red Sox right-hander Ryan Dempster.

"They are big losses, in a sense, but you can't make too much of one game," Girardi said. "You have to go out and win a series tomorrow. That's the bottom line. You have to win the series and we have an opportunity to do that."

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Yanks Look To Gain Another Game With Kuroda On The Mound

While the crowd at Fenway Park was busy booing Alex Rodriguez Friday night, the New York Yankees were busy taking care of the Boston Red Sox in the series opener, giving the Red Sox a lose they'll surely want to forget, as the Yankees would game one, 10-3.

Alfonso Soriano continued his hot hitting, driving in four more runs to his total to 18 in his last four games, tying him with the great Mickey Mantle for the most all-time in a four-game span.

Mark Reynolds made his Yankees debut a grand one, driving in three runs, including a two-run homerun in his first at-bat. And for those of you that were wondering and didn't hear, John Sterling didn't give much thought into Reynolds homerun call, using, "You're on on the Mark, Reynolds." The same line used for Mark Teixeira.

Friday's win was the Yankees' fifth win in their last six games, and their sixth win in their last eight overall. The Yankees have looked much better as a team since being swept by the Chicago White Sox last week, with the offense finally picking up and scoring runs.

Today's Lineup, 4:05 EST @ Fenway Park:

Gardner CF
Suzuki RF
Cano 2B
Soriano LF
Rodriguez 3B
Granderson DH
Nunez SS
Overbay 1B
Stewart C
Kuroda RHP

Pitching Preview:

Hiroki Kuroda's record may only be 11-7, but with the ways he's been pitching this season, he could easily be 15-3. Kuroda has been pitching great for the Yankees all season, but a lack of run support at times has caused him to a the hit in the loss column.

With a 2.33 ERA this season, Kuroda has lately been at the top of his game, as he hasn't allowed more than three runs in a start since June 30th -- that's a span of seven starts.

His last starts in particular was against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, when he tossed eight scoreless innings, giving up just three hits -- it was his league leading 9th scoreless starts this season.

"His offspeed stuff is very difficult to pick up," Angels catcher Chris Iannetta said after the start. "The rotation on it, you couldn't really pick it up. You had to wait a long time, which made you late on the fastball. If you're trying to hit the fastball, you're ahead on the offspeed. He kept guys off-balance -- very deceptive, very good location."

Kuroda will be facing off against Red Sox right-hander John Lackey, who made some pretty interesting comments to the Boston Media a couple days ago, saying that he has a huge problem with MLB letting A-Rod play during his appeal.

"I've got a problem with it. You bet I do," Lackey said. "How is he still playing? He obviously did something and he's playing. I'm not sure that's right. ... It's pretty evident he's been doing stuff for a lot of years I've been facing him."

Lackey will get the chance to face A-Rod on Saturday when he takes the mound with his 7-10 record and 3.32 ERA. The biggest matchup surrounding the impending match-up is whether or not Lackey will throw at A-Rod after expressing his feeling towards to slugger.

Lackey last took the mound in Kansas City to face the Royals last Sunday, taking the loss for the second straight outing after allowing four runs on seven hits in seven innings of work. Lackey is also looking for his first win since July 12th.

QUESTION: Do you think Lackey will throw at A-Rod? Click the follow button below to follow me on Twitter and tell me what you think about Lackey and A-Rod.

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Soriano Still Hot, Pettitte Pitched Well, Yankees Win 10-3

At first pitch, Alex Rodriguez was the top story surrounding the New York Yankees. By the time the final out was recorded, Alfonso Soriano and Andy Pettitte had stole all the headlines.

With major contributions from those two, as wells as several other Yankees, the Bombers were able to take down their rivals with ease in Friday night's series opener at Fenway Park, 10-3.

"When you get guys hot like some of the guys are right now, you feel good about yourself," said Pettitte. "Obviously winning ballgames makes you feel good about yourself. It's a good thing right now."

Soriano came into the series hitting the ball better than anybody else in Major League Baseball, and he left Friday night's game hitting even hotter.

After Brett Gardner and Robinson Cano reached base to being the ballgame, setting up runners on the corners with one away, Soriano ripped a hard groundball towards the shortstop that was knocked down, leading everybody to be safe, as well as scoring the first run of the ballgame.

The newly acquire Mark Reynolds made his Yankees debut Friday night, and he quickly turned himself into a fellow Bronx Bomber, going deep of Felix Doubront in his first at-bat, a two-strike changeup that he sent flying over the Green Monster for a two-run homerun.

Soriano came up for his second at-bat of the game in the 4th, once again with a pair of runners on after Eduardo Nunez and Cano reached base to open to inning, then Soriano opened the game by launching a three-run blast over the Monster in deep left-center field to put the Yankees up 6-0.

"I'm trying to enjoy my time now here with the Yankees," said Soriano. "I think it's motivation; coming back to the Yankees to try to help the team to win. That's what is most important."

An inning later, Cano made it a 7-0 game on an RBI to right field, following up a two-out triple by Nunez after Jacoby Ellsbury dropped a ball at the wall in center field that would have made for a great catch. Cano's single extended his hitting streak to 12-games.

All this scoring would come to the benefit of Pettitte, who was the second story in the game behind Soriano and the offensive outburst. Pettitte started the game by retiring nine of the first 10 batters he faced. He was locked in for most of the night, looking better than he's looked in weeks.

The Red Sox didn't get in the board against Pettitte until the 4th when Johnny Gomes lined a single to center field, bringing home Dustin Pedroia. Pettitte was working well until the 7th inning when the wheels started to fall off, giving up a pair of RBI single to David Ortiz and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, cutting the lead to 7-3.

After the RBI single by Saltalamacchia, Yankees manager Joe Girardi decided it was time to make that move to the bullpen, where he brought in the always reliable Shawn Kelley, who would punch out Mike Carp to strand runners on first and second to end the inning.

For the first time in nine starts, Pettitte didn't give up a run in the first inning, as he pitched very well throughout the night. Obviously things would have looked much better if he would have finished off the 7th inning, but he still went 6 2/3, giving up three runs on six hits, while walking just one and striking out five.

"It was one of those nights where everything was working and you'd hope you'd be able to get through the game like I did," Pettitte said. "My curve was working, my two-seamer, I was locating that to both sides of the plate. My four-seamer also. [Chris Stewart ] called a great game and we scored a lot of runs."

Following Kelley's big strikeout to end the 7th, David Robertson came in and pitched a scoreless 8th inning, permitting a pair of hits, but nothing more.

Before handing the ball to Joba Chamberlain in the 9th, the Yanks tacked on three more runs in the top half of the 9th, including an RBI single by Reynolds, who would finish 2-for-5 with three RBIs in his Yankees debut.

Speaking of Joba, Girardi handed him the ball to being the 9th, but as you could imagine, things didn't run too smoothly. After Gomes flew out to center, Stephen Drew singled and Mike Napoli doubled off Joba to put runners on second and third. Saltalamacchia flew out to center for the second out, but Joba walked Brock Holt to load the bases with two-outs.

Girardi had seen enough at that point, bringing in the lefty David Huff, needing only to get a single out, facing Ellsbury. Huff gots Ellsbury to send a slow groundball over to Cano at second to end the game, giving the Yanks a 10-3 victory, their 6th win in their last eight games.

"I don't think anyone has written them off, by any means," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "We've got nine more games remaining against them, they've got a completely different look to their lineup than we saw a month ago, and they've got a lot of life right now."

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Yanks And Red Sox Begin A Three-Game Set In Boston

Alex Rodriguez may be eating up all the storylines off the field for the ongoing Biogenesis scandal heading into this weekend series against the Boston Red Sox, but on the field, the headlines are all about Yankees-Red Sox rivalry getting ready to crank up again.

The Yankees failed to come away with a sweep of this Angels this past week, falling to Anaheim in the series finale on Thursday, 8-4. Overall, the Yankees have won five of their last seven games, and the offense, lead by the red-hot Alfonso Soriano, is starting to heat up once again.

Entering this series, the Yankees are nine games back of the Red Sox in the American League East, and are six games back of the second wild card berth. No matter what way you look at things, this series in Boston can only break the Yankees season -- losses push them back, wins keep them in the race.

Joining the team today in Boston is newly signed first baseman Mark Reynolds, who the Yankees signed last night after Reynolds was released by the Cleveland Indians on Monday.

Tonight's Lineup, 7:10 EST @ Fenway Park:

Gardner CF
Nunez SS
Cano 2B
Soriano LF
Rodriguez 3B
Wells DH
Suzuki RF
Reynolds 1B
Stewart C
Pettitte LHP

Pitching Preview:

At the age of 41, Andy Pettitte has made 41 career appearances against the Boston Red Sox, and Friday night's opener will be No. 42. With a 19-11 record and a 3.87 ERA in those 41 appearances, tonight's outing is hopeful to be another good outing.

Although his starts against the Red Sox have usually fared well, Pettitte's last few outings against the rest of the league haven't gone his way, with him coming off two straight outings in which he wasn't able to complete five innings.

His last starts was against the Tigers on Sunday, and while he one gave up one run, he was lifted from the game in the 5th inning, having thrown 101 pitches.

Pettitte will be going up against fellow left-hander Felix Doubront, who, like Pettitte, didn't last very long in his last outing, tossing just four innings, while walking four on 98 pitches against the Kansas City Royals.

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Yankees Sign 1B/3B Mark Reynolds

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com has reported that the Yankees have agreed to terms on a deal with power-hitting infielder Mark Reynolds. The terms of the deal are currently unknown, but it's presumably a one-year deal.

Reynolds was released by the Cleveland Indians on Monday after signing a one-year, $6 million deal earlier this year. In 384 plates appearances for the Indians, he hit .215 with 14 homeruns and 48 RBIs.

Reynolds will add some more much needed power from the right-side of the plate, and will also serve as a right-handed backup to Lyle Overbay, which is something that the Yankees have been looking to acquire for awhile now.

Reynolds, who played for the Baltimore Orioles last year, had four teams to choose from to sign with, and he decided to take his talents to the Bronx to play in the hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium.

A roster move hasn't been announced as to who Reynolds will replace on the Yankees 25-man roster, but if I had to guess, the recent call-up of David Huff might make Adam Warren an expendable piece, with Huff moving into the long-relief role.

Reynolds is expected to join the Yankees tomorrow in Boston for the start of a three-game weekend series against the Red Sox.

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Yanks Last Rally Stopped Short, Lose To The Angels

Through the first three games of this series, the Yankees have had the Angels numbers, winning that first three games and putting at a combined 25 runs in the last two game along. But the tables were turned on the Yankees, when Chris Nelson's grand slam in the 8th broke the score open, leading to a 8-4 Angels win.

Phil Hughes has been known to pitch very poorly at Yankee Stadium in his career, and this season especially, but Thursday's game in the Bronx fared a little better for Hughes.

"It was obviously better. It was hard to pitch much worse than I had been," Hughes said. "It felt like the results weren't exactly what I wanted, but I felt like I threw the ball OK. But at the end of the day it's a loss, which is not what we set out to accomplish today."

Hughes gave up an early run to the Angels, giving up an RBI single to Josh Hamilton that scored JB Shuck to put Anaheim in the board.

A couple innings later in the 4th, Hank Conger brought homerun the Angels second run on a sac-fly to left field, then a couple batters later, Chris Nelson, yes, the Chris Nelson that once played for the Yankees, hit a solo homerun to right field, his first of two homeruns in the ballgame.

Alfonso Soriano was the hottest hitting player coming into the game with 13 RBIs on his last two contests, coming off a 7 RBI game last night with a pair of homeruns, and he continued to streak, driving in the Yankees only run of the game in the 3rd on an RBI single to left field, to, at the time, tie game.

"Sometimes you have a good week," Soriano said. "I feel good at home plate. I'm seeing the ball good. I hope I continue hitting like this and help the team to win."

Unlike CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova, Hughes didn't get much run support to help put the decision in his favor. Overall, he didn't pitch that bat, giving up just the three runs on six hits over six innings, while also walking one and striking out five.

"Overall, it's progress," Hughes said. "It's certainly not the way I'd like to progress; I'd like for it to kind of turn around quick. But it's a battle, and I'm going to keep doing whatever I can to stay on the right track."

The Angels didn't start to break things open until the 8th when Nelson came up against with the bases loaded and launched his second homerun of the game to left field, a grand slam off Boone Logan that put the Angels up 7-1. Shuck added another run a couple batters later on a single off Joba Chamberlain, making it a 8-1 game.

"We're trying to keep the game close, and I let a guy like that hit a grand slam off me," Logan said. "I probably could have hit that slider I threw up to him."

But the Yankees made interesting in the 9th, trying to came back from being down seven runs with three outs left to play. With runners on the corners and one man down, Robinson Cano singled to center to drive in a run.

After Alex Rodriguez struck out with runners on first and second, Vernon Wells, who had come up with big chances earlier in the game, lined a two-run double past a diving Mike Trout in right-center field to pull the Yankees within four runs.

Curtis Granderson followed with a two-out walk to put a pair of runners on for Eduardo Nunez, who would ground out to first base to end the game, handing the Yankees a 8-4 loss, snapping their four-game winning streak.

The Yankees had a ton of chances early in the game to do damage off Angels starter CJ Wilson, but just weren't able to get anything but a single run across the plate off him. Wilson got the win after giving up just one run on 11 hits in 6 2/3 inning, throwing a season-high 124 pitches.

Now the Yankees head off to Boston to start a three-game weekend series against the Red Sox, who lead the Yankees in the AL East by a whopping nine games. Being swept would do a ton of damage to the Yanks playoff hopes, while sweeping Boston could put them back into the AL East race.

"It's playoff baseball for us right now. I think the guys enjoy the challenge, I really do," manager Joe Girardi said. "They understand what we have to do. We have to win a lot of games, we have to win series and we have to play extremely well. I think our guys look forward to that. Baseball is meaningful for us. And it's very meaningful right now. As players, that's what you want."

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Huff Called Up, Betances Optioned To Triple-A

As I originally reported to news last night, it has been official this morning, as the Yankees have called up LHP David Huff from Triple-A Scranton and have optioned RHP Dellin Betances to Triple-A, while also moving RHP David Phelps to the 60-day DL.

It's not clear what role Huff will pitch in for the Yankees, as he just started for Scranton three days ago, but he's expected to be another left-handed option out of the bullpen.

It's also possible that he could make a spot start for the Yankees in their double header against the Blue Jays this coming Tuesday.

Betances made his 2013 season debut Tuesday night in the 8th inning against the Angels, striking out the first two batters he faced before falling apart, giving up four runs on five hits and walk in the 9th inning.

Huff was claimed off waivers by the Yankees back in May and made one appearance for the team, giving up one run on one hit against the Rays, before getting sent down.

In 22 game for Triple-A Scranton, Huff has an ERA of 3.90 in 91.2 innings pitched, with 22 walks and 92 strikeouts.

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Hughes Takes The Mounds As Yanks Go For The Sweep

Alfonso Soriano is locked in at the plate, and his four homeruns and 13 RBIs in his last two games certainly don't suggest otherwise. His performance over the past two games is one that will go down in Yankees history with some of the greatest 48-hours of all-time.

"I hope it stays for a couple more weeks," Soriano said. "I know it's not going to happen often, those two days. So that's something I want to remember. I have to remember having games like that."

His 13 RBIs have helped led the way to the Yankees being in position to sweep the Angels in this four-game series, before the Yanks hit the road and open a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox that starts tomorrow.

Today's Lineup, 1:05 EST @ Yankee Stadium:

Gardner CF
Soriano LF
Cano 2B
Rodriguez 3B
Wells RF
Granderson DH
Nunez SS
Overbay 1B
Romine C
Hughes RHP

Pitching Preview:

With all the buzz surrounding Hiroki Kuroda and Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes has been the complete opposite of those two on the mound, and when he pitches at Yankee Stadium, it never ends well for him or the Yankees.

Hughes has posted a 6.18 ERA and served up 16 home runs in 12 games at the place he calls home, while he is 0-4 with a 6.43 ERA over his last six starts overall. In just his last three starts, he has given up 14 runs on 22 hits in his last 11 innings.

For the moment, Hughes' spot in the rotation is safe, but that's only because there aren't any other starters to replace him, mostly due to some untimely injuries with Michael Pineda and David Phelps.

"Right now, I don't know if we have any options," Girardi said. "So we need him to pitch well. That's the bottom line."

The Yankees managed to tag Jered Weaver with eight runs yesterday, and now they get a chance at one of the Angels other top pitchers, CJ Wilson.

Wilson is 5-1 with a 2.73 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 52 2/3 innings over his last eight starts, and he held the Cleveland Indians to two runs on seven hits and four walks 5 1/3 innings last Saturday.

Wilson has faced the Yankees once this season back on June 14th, when he permitted just two runs over seven innings, owns a 2.67 ERA in four career starts at Yankee Stadium, a place he likes to pitch.

"I like pitching day games at Yankee Stadium," Wilson said. "It levels the playing field for me, because I feel like there's no buildup. You just go straight to the game. I think pitching in Yankee Stadium is kind of intimidating in a lot of ways, because you know there are going to be 45,000 or 50,000 fans there.

"You know that the Yankees are always going to give you a good ballgame. They're always going to have tough at-bats, they're always going to have a lot of discipline. This is the hallmark of their club. So a day game, there might be guys who are like, 'Oh, I'm a little sore, I'm not going to play today.' Things like that. Hopefully I get a lineup I can get some whiffs with."

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Reports: David Huff Being Called-Up

Following Wednesday night's 11-3 win, the Yankees appear to be making a roster move. According to Donnie Collins of the Scranton Times-Tribune, LHP David Huff is on his way up to the Bronx.

I'm not sure what this move would mean, considering that Huff is currently not on the Yankees 40-man roster and the Yanks would need to clear room to do so, assuming there isn't an injury for him to replace, someone is expected to be designated for assignment.

If there isn't an injury and somebody is about to be designated for assignment, I would have to guess that Dellin Betances, who gave up four runs on five hits on his 2013 debut Tuesday night, would be the man getting the boot.

Of all the people the Yankees could bring up, I'm not sure why Huff is the man. Huff was claimed off waivers by the Yankees back in May and made one appearance for the team, giving up one run on one hit against the Rays, before getting sent down.

In 22 game for Triple-A Scranton, Huff has an ERA of 3.90 in 91.2 innings pitched, with 22 walks and 92 strikeouts.

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Soriano Drives In Seven Runs, Yanks Win Their Fourth Straight

Alfonso Soriano is a king among men! For some players, 13 RBIs in one week is a very good week, for others, 13 RBIs in one month is also very good, for Soriano, 13 RBIs in a two game span, now that's irregular.

"It's not bad," Soriano joked. "You don't see those days. I have to take those days, because it's not easy sometimes getting one RBI in one game. And I got 13 in two games. So I'm very excited, very happy."

Soriano tied his career-high on Tuesday night with six RBIs and a pair of homeruns in the Yankees 14-7 win, and afterwards, you would figure he would be able to top himself. Wrong.

Soriano didn't just follow up with another good night, he followed up with a great night! He came up in the first inning with the bases loaded, and brought everyone home with his 5th career grand slam, putting the Yanks up 4-0 on Jered Weaver.

He was back at it again in the 2nd inning, after Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson singled home a run apiece, Soriano ripped a two-run double down the left field line, turning the game into a blowout, at 8-0.

Then in the 5th, having already tied his total and career-high from Tuesday night, Soriano set himself a new-career high, leading off the 5th with his second homerun of the game, a no doubt about it blast to left field, for his 7th RBI of the game.

"Here, it's like more motivation," said Soriano. "All the players, they want to win. When you put the Yankees uniform on, you know what it's all about. It's all about wins. That's all I take to the game every night."

Soriano is the first Yankees player since Alex Rodriguez back on October 4th, 2009 in Tampa Bay against the Rays to drive in seven runs in one game.

"We just were laughing," Cano said. "That's unbelievable. You see a guy that had six RBIs yesterday and seven tonight, that's an awesome game. That's every player's dream. Every time you have men on base, you want to be able to at least get a single, and he got a home run. That was really good."

Soriano was the only Yankee who had as good night at the plate, because Cano was also locked in, going 4-for-4, passing Hall of Famer Phil Rizzuto (1,588) for sole possession of 15th place on the all-time franchise hits list.

All this run support came to the benefit of Ivan Nova, who taken the loss in two of his last four games because the Yankees were shutout in the game. Nova didn't have his best stuff, he seemed to be a little complacent on the mound, knowing he had such a big lead.

But overall, Nova had another good outing, pitching at least seven inning for the seventh straight outing, going eight strong, to become the first non-CC Sabathia Yankees pitcher to complete seven innings in seven straight starts since David Cone in 1998.

Nova left to a standing ovation with one-out and a runner on first base in the 8th inning. Lost in the Soriano magic, Nova gave up three runs on 10 hits, while striking out six without walking a single batter on 110 pitches.

"I haven't pitched with a lead like that in a long time," Nova said. "It feels really good. If the hitters start getting hot, it's a good sign for us."

Preston Claiborne was brought into to relieve Nova, as well as finish off the game. He easily got the last two outs of the 8th, and would eventually get the final three outs of the game, and after Chris Stewart tacked on two more runs with a single in the 7th, the Yankees would go on to win 11-3.

With one more game left on this homestand, Phil Hughes will take the mound for the Yankees, facing off against Angels left-hander CJ Wilson, as the Yanks look for their 5th straight win before heading off to boston for the weekend. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. EST.

"You want to just continue with this momentum," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We know we have our work cut out for us. We're playing a lot of the teams that are in front of us. We're in our division a lot going down the stretch here. You just try to ride this as long as you can."

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Nova Goes For His Seventh Straight Quality Start

Before last night, you had to go all the way back to 2008 to see the Yankees score 14 runs in a game at Yankee Stadium -- Xavier Nady was a Yankee and drove in six runs in the game. Alfonso Soriano also drove in six runs last night, hitting a pair of homeruns in the Yankees 14-7 win over Angels.

CC Sabathia grinded through six innings, giving up three runs on three hits, while somehow walking six and striking out seven. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said after the game that CC should have gone at least eight innings, but a pitch count of 110 held him to only six innings.

Dellin Betances made his 2013 debut with two outs in the 8th inning, throwing one pitch before a 26-minute rain delay. When play resumed, he threw two more pitches to strike out Grant Green. Then opened the 9th with a strikeout, but the wheels fell off, as he would give up four runs on five hits and a walk, including a three runs homerun to Mike Trout.

Tonight's Lineup, 7:05 EST @ Yankee Stadium:

Gardner CF
Suzuki RF
Cano 2B
Rodriguez 3B
Granderson DH
Soriano LF
Overbay 1B
Nunez SS
Stewart C
Nova RHP

Pitching Preview:

Next to Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova has been absolutely dominant since the start of July, tossing six consecutive quality starts with a 1.60 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 45 innings during that span.

Although Nova is 3-2 over his last starts starts, he's gone at least seven inning in every outing, tossing seven innings in each of his last four, giving up a combine five runs total.

"I've been pitching really good," Nova said after his last start. "I've been feeling really good with all of my pitches, working both sides of the plate to righties and lefties and getting quick outs."

His last start was a no-decision against the Detroit Tigers last Friday, permitting just one run on eight hits, while walking two and striking out seven. He took home the no-decision because Mariano Rivera blew the save in the 9th, setting up a walk-off single by Brett Gardner in the bottom of the 10th.

Nova will be going up against the Angels ace, Jered Weaver, who's been just as good as Nova has been since the start of July, posting a 1.72 ERA in his last nine starts.

"He's very comfortable in how he's throwing the ball," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "I think he's pitching as well as he did at any time last year, which was obviously his best year."

Weaver was very good in his last outing against the Cleveland Indians, tossing seven innings of two-run ball, serving up six hits, no walks with six punchouts.

"He was on an incredible run last year that lasted for most of the season," Scioscia said. "I think right now he's very, very comfortable. He's not just coming off the DL, but he's had time to work his way into his game, and his stuff and that took a little while."

Up now: My story on Alex Rodriguez just not being able to win with Yankees fans.

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Soriano Drives In Six, Yankees Win A Blowout

When the Yankees score runs, everybody goes home happy! There's no doubt that everyone went home happy Tuesday night in the Bronx, when the Yanks offense exploded for 14 runs and 19 hits in their blowout win over the Los Angeles Angels.

Alfonso Soriano had his best game since rejoining the Yankees, driving in a career-high six runs, including a pair of homeruns, one in the 5th that gave the Yanks a 4-3 lead, then the second in the 7th, putting them ahead 12-3.

"It felt more like the old days," Soriano said. "We scored 14 runs today, so I hope we can do that more often. I know it can't happen every day because the other team gets paid to get us out, but I hope we continue playing like we played tonight."

CC Sabathia didn't have a great outing, walking people in tough situations, putting runners on base, and throwing a lot of pitches. Although he had five strikeouts through the first two innings, it was one little mistake in the first that put him into an early hole.

After striking out the first two hitters, CC had Mike Trout into a two-strike count, when he lifted a fly ball into foul territory in right field, Vernon Wells ran it down but missed the ball, giving Trout another life. CC would walk Trout, then immediately gave up a two-run homerun to Mark Trumbo.

Wells made up for his missed play in the first by sending one over the right field wall in the second, putting the Yankees on the board to make it a 2-1 game. It was Wells' first homerun since May 15th.

Sabathia gave up one more run in the third inning when he walked Chris Nelson -- one of the 10 guys that's played third bases for the Yankees this season -- with the bases loaded, forcing in a run to put the Angels up 3-1.

From there, the blowout began and the Yankees didn't look back. Jayson Nix scored Wells from third base on a groundout to the shortstop in the 4th inning. Then in the 5th, Eduardo Nunez singled to center with one-away, leading to Soriano blasting a two-run shot to left field, giving the Yanks their first lead of the game.

Los Angeles had a great chance to tie the game in the 6th inning, with the bases loaded, Tommy Field lined a ball to left field, with Nelson tagging from third base, but the home plate umpire ruled that Nelson left third too early, thus he was called out for the third out of the inning.

The Yankees started to pull away in the bottom half of the 6th, putting up a four-spot after an RBI groundout by Nunez, an RBI single Soriano to bring home Overbay, and a two-run double by Alex Rodriguez, extending the lead to 8-3.

Another four-run inning in the 7th put the game officially out of reach, when Nunez drove in his second run of the game on a fielders choice, setting up Soriano for his second homerun of the game, a three-run longball to make it a 12-3 game.

"He said he was feeling good today and sure enough, he went out there and delivered," Granderson said. "He hit a ball to left and a ball to right. That's a good sign for a hitter that's starting to get hot. Hopefully, it's a good sign of things to come."

Shawn Kelley come into the ballgame to replace Sabathia in the 7th, who finished after permitting three runs on three hits, walking a total of six batters and striking out seven on 110 pitches. Kelley was good once again, giving up just one-hit in 1 2/3 innings.

"I thought CC was excellent," Girardi said. "He probably should've pitched about eight innings with as many outs as he got, but we gave him a lot of extra outs. He kept them in check."

With two outs in the 8th, Yankees manager Joe Girardi decided to bring his young, highly talented prospect, Dellin Betances. After just one pitch, the rain came down, causing a 26-minute rain delay, but Betances came back out and fired two fastballs Grant Green, with the third strike at 97 mph, to end the inning.

Nunez continued his good game in the bottom half of the 8th inning, singling up the middle with the bases load, driving in two more runs, piling on a 14-3 lead. After Betances struck out the first batter of the 9th, the next six Angels reached base, including a three-run homerun by Trout to make it a 14-7 game.

Once Betances walked Nelson, who drew three walks on the night, Girardi was forced to make an unwanted to to the bullpen, bringing in Joba Chamberlain, who would record the final two outs of the game, giving the Yanks a 14-7 victory.

For the first time since July 10th-12th. the Yankees have won three straight games, and four of their last five overall. The Yanks remain 9 1/2 games back of the Red Sox in the AL East, but did gain ground, now sitting just 5 1/2 back of the second Wild Card spot.

"That's why I love the Yankees," Soriano said. "The clubhouse and the dugout are always relaxed because everybody has confidence. That's the most important thing. Sometimes we may not play good, but we haven't lost the confidence. Everybody feels comfortable and that's what I like."

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