A Full Day Concludes With a Sweep for the Yanks

Four starting pitchers reported for work at Yankee Stadium yesterday with a combined career record of 8-22. As uncertain as the Yankees must have felt before their day-night doubleheader, it probably helped to remember who they were facing.

The pitching-poor Tampa Bay Devil Rays had won by 10 runs in the series opener on Friday, but yesterday belonged to the Yankees. Even without a victory by starters Kei Igawa and Matt DeSalvo, the Yankees swept the Devil Rays, taking the day game by 7-3 and the night game by 17-5. Reliever Luis Vizcaíno won both.

The Yankees (50-46) shaved a half-game off the Boston Red Sox' lead in the American League East, reducing it to seven and a half, and they even found a backup catcher, trading a Class AA reliever, Jeff Kennard, for José Molina of the Los Angeles Angels. Wil Nieves will be designated for assignment when Molina arrives.

“He can catch and throw extremely well, and he really shuts down the running game,” Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman said of Molina, an eight-year veteran. “He's a quality backup catcher at the very least. He's been an everyday guy as well. We feel we've upgraded, and that's obviously the name of the game.”

HideKi Matsui homered in both games of the doubleheader, driving in five runs for the day. He now has eight home runs in his past 16 games. “So far this season,” Matsui said through an interpreter, “the last two or three weeks have been the best that I've felt.”

None of the four starters worked past the fifth inning. Tampa Bay's Jason Hammel went four innings in the first game and allowed Matsui's first homer. In the nightcap, the Yankees blitzed J. P. Howell for 7 runs and 10 hits in five innings.

blitz v. 急襲

That game became a laugher in the sixth against reliever Jay Witasick, best known in Yankee lore for his 54.00 earned run average in the 2001 World Series. Last night, Witasick threw away a bunt and allowed five runs, including the 497th career homer for Alex Rodriguez, who took a curtain call from the crowd.

lore n. 傳說

The sixth inning of the day game also produced five runs for the Yankees, though the hero then was a lot less experienced. It was Shelley Duncan, who ripped his first career homer on his second day in the majors and also acknowledged the fans.

Nearly every Yankees hitter had a chance to make an impact over the two games. Rodriguez drove in four runs in the second game, giving him 96 runs batted in for the season. Johnny Damon blooped two doubles and, playing left field, dashed back for a midair catch to save two runs in the second game.


bloop v. 打者將球擊至內外野間
dash v. 猛衝


Nieves who had one extra-base hit all season before this weekend, had two doubles in the nightcap. But Nieves also lost his job. In Molina, 32, the Yankees found a veteran who should be much more of an offensive presence than Nieves, the good-fielding, good-natured backup who has hit only .164.

“It's hard when you think you've done everything right, but it's not enough,” Nieves said, adding later: “It's disappointing. You don’t want to go through this. But it's just baseball. This is what happens.”

Molina is part of a family of catchers. His brother Bengie catches for the Giants and another brother, Yadier, catches for the Cardinals. José, 32, was batting .224 (28 for 125) with the Angels and has hit safely in 25 of his 37 starts.

Molina hit .240 in a career-high 78 games last season. He has a career average of .238 and has played in 10 postseason games.

With the July 31 trading deadline approaching, Cashman will continue to look for upgrades but said he was not optimistic.

optimistic a. 樂觀的

“We're open, and we have been, to any idea that makes sense,” he said. “But making sense for two is the problem. That's a very difficult thing in today's environment. That's why things are moving at a glacial speed. But we'll see. I like the way we're getting after it.”

open to 存在..可能性

Manager Joe Torre took no chances in the opening victory, using his four most trusted relievers to secure it after Igawa wobbled his way through five innings.

wobble v. 使..不穩定

Vizcaíno came in with the game tied in the sixth, beginning a bullpen relay that also included Kyle Farnsworth, Scott Proctor and Mariano Rivera in a nonsave situation. Farnsworth struck out two as he tried to refine his slider.

Farnsworth said the pitching coach, Ron Guidry, told him he has thrown sliders with only 15 percent of his pitches this season. That surprised Farnsworth, who usually throws 30 percent sliders. He said he would change the ratio.

“That's basically my out pitch,” Farnsworth said. “If you're throwing nothing but fastballs, hitters are going to look for that on every pitch.”

Vizcaíno (8-2) is second on the staff in victories, trailing only starter Chien-Ming Wang, who has 10. Vizcaíno’s E.R.A. is 1.03 since May 28. He leads all major league relievers in victories and became the first Yankee to win both games of a doubleheader since Lindy McDaniel on May 27, 1970.

“He's one of those magic guys this year,” Torre said of Vizcaíno. “There's always someone on a team who falls into some. We'll call him Magic Man.”

Matsui's Game 1 homer erased a 2-0 lead Tampa Bay had built on homers by B. J. Upton and Ty Wigginton. The Devil Rays had seven hits and three walks in five innings against Igawa, who threw 94 pitches but avoided major damage.

“Five innings and 94 pitches is still not good,” Guidry said. “But over all, one of the good things was how he learned a little bit today about how to pitch out of trouble. That's something he hadn't been doing before.”

Torre said Igawa would get another start, with Phil Hughes scheduled for two more rehabilitation starts for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Teddy Kider contributed reporting.