The Yankees hit four homeruns, including two by Nick Swisher, and A.J Burnett (10-4)was dominant once again, as the bombers won 11-4 over Tampa Bay in the first game of a nine game road trip. The Yankees were never really in any trouble in this one. They scored three runs in the second inning off of Rays starter James Shields (6-7), highlighted by a Jorge Posada RBI double, a Robinson Cano RBI triple, and a Swisher RBI groundout. The Yankees made the score 5-0 in the fifth, when Cano and Swisher went back to back, knocking Shields out of the ball game.
At this point the game was over, as Burnett was cruising once again tonight. He went seven strong, struck out five batters, didn't allow an earned run, and walked only two. He got nine swing-and-miss strikes via the fastball, and retired the leadoff man in every inning. Burnett has got to 10 wins for the 5th straight season, and has really been pitching well lately. He is 5-0 with a 2.23 ERA in his last six starts.
The Rays finally scored a couple runs in the 8th, but at that point it didn't matter. It was 7-3 when the top of the ninth started, and the Yankees went on to score four more runs on Swisher's second homerun, and a three run homer by Johnny Damon.
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This is a feel good win if you are a Yankee fan. The offense was clicking, as the team hit four homeruns, and the starting pitching was dominant. Plus, New York beat a division rival on the road. With the win, the bombers are now 7 1/2 games up on the Rays, which is a comfortable sized lead. There seems to be nothing that can slow this ballclub down right now.
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The Yankees improved their record to 61-38, and mantained a 2 1/2 game lead over the Red Sox. Game two of this series is tomorrow night. It's a good pitching matchup featuring a couple of southpaws. C.C Sabathia (10-6) for New York, and Scott Kazmir for the Rays.
(AP Photo/Steve Nesius)
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