Tags : mlb
Bombers’ Bats Back Burnett, Bash Baltimore
Baltimore, MD (AHN) – Jorge Posada hit two of five Yankee homers in support of a shaky A.J.Burnett, who allowed six runs in 5 1-3 innings as New York belted the Baltimore orioles 9-6 Tuesday night.
Posada finished with three RBI, Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano added two each, and Alex Rodriguez and Eric Hinske each drove in a run for the Yanks.
“Jorge is having a good year for us offensively?he’s a big bat out there,” said manager Joe Girardi during a postgame conference on YES Network.
Burnett, who has not earned a win since July 27th (seven starts) struggled from the start, allowing a first-inning homer to Felix Pie.
“It’s a good thing our offense is swinging the way they’re swinging,” said Burnett.
“He was flat tonight?he wasn’t downhill,” said Girardi. “Sometimes your stuff is going to be flat. You do your best to fight through it, and [Burnett] did that tonight.” Cano continued his hot hitting with an early homer that gave the Yanks a 2-1 lead in the second inning.
Posada’s first homer added to the lead in the third, but Melvin Mora hit a two-run double in the bottom of the inning to tie the game.
New York again took the lead with Posada’s second homer, a two-run jack in the fifth that made it 5-3.
Burnett, who allowed 11 hits and walked two batters, was chased after Luke Scott hit a towering three-run blast to retake the lead for Baltimore.
The healthy New York bats came through once again and put the game away with back-to-back solo shots off the bats of Eric Hinske and Nick Swisher in the seventh.
O’s starter David Hernandez allowed five runs in five innings, but the loss went to Chris Ray. Ray was charged was three runs in just 1-3 innings to drop to 0-3.
The Yankees (84-48) are a season high 36 games above .500 after five-straight wins. They maintain a 6.5 game lead ahead of Boston in the AL East.
New York looks to sweep when the three-game set concludes Wednesday at 7 PM EST at Camden Yards.
