Alex Rodriguez had two hits, but not homer No. 600, to support another sharp outing by a resurgent A.J. Burnett and the New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians 8-0 Wednesday night.
Craig, left, and Kyle Scarpa, from Ridgewood, N.J., hold up signs before the New York Yankees played the Cleveland Indians in a baseball game Tuesday, July 27, 2010, in Cleveland. Alex Rodriguez has gone without a homer in 17 at-bats since hitting No. 599. He takes another shot at No. 600 when the Yankees play the Indians on his 35th birthday, Tuesday. He's looking to become the seventh and youngest player to reach the milestone. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Burnett (9-8) earned his third win in four starts, the only blemish coming in a start in which he cut his hands hitting a door out of frustration. On Wednesday he allowed seven hits over 6 1-3 innings as the Yankees improved the best record in the majors with their sixth win in eight games — and AL-leading ninth shutout.
Mark Teixeira had a two-run single and Brett Gardner a pair of run-scoring singles as the Yankees built a 7-0 lead. Robinson Cano hit his 19th homer leading off the fourth to make it 8-0.
Rodriguez didn’t come close to getting his elusive 600th homer, though he went 2 for 5 with a run-scoring single in the first inning off Fausto Carmona (10-8).
Each time Rodriguez strode to the plate, hundreds of fans left their seats and jammed a walkway between the left-field pole and the bleachers with hopes of catching the historic homer. They walked away disappointed each time.
So did A-Rod, except for his single and a sixth-inning double in which his slide knocked the second-base bag out of the ground. He flipped his bat after striking out with the bases loaded on a 3-2 pitch to end New York’s three-run third.
Most of the crowd of 22,965 left after Rodriguez flied out to right to end the eighth inning.
Rodriguez’s sharp grounder up the middle on a 3-1 pitch in the first scored Teixeira for a 1-0 lead. Teixeira was on a second with a double.
Curtis Granderson had two hits including an RBI triple off Carmona, giving him a .444 (16 for 36) average against the right-hander.
Burnett struck out seven and walked three as he continued his roller-coaster season. The right-hander opened the year 4-0 and had a 6-2 record after beating the Indians on May 30 in New York. The 33-year-old then lost five consecutive decisions before his recent resurgence.
Burnett finally won in Cleveland. He had been 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA in four previous starts at Progressive Field, none of them with New York. He threw five scoreless innings before being lifted due to a rain delay Friday in a 7-1 win over Kansas City.
Joba Chamberlain came on after Burnett issued a one-out walk to Andy Marte in the seventh. He balked Marte to second, but got the next two batters easily. Sergio Mitre worked the eighth and ninth to complete the eight-hitter.
Carmona was pounded for seven runs and 10 hits over 2 2-3 innings. It was the worst start of the season by the AL All-Star who was looking to win four in a row for first time since finishing the 2007 season with five consecutive wins.
Rodriguez hit his 501st homer off Carmona on Aug. 10, 2007, and followed with two more the next night in Cleveland — and has since gone 9 for 45 without a homer in his last 12 games at Progressive Field.
NOTES: Rain delayed the start 42 minutes. … Cleveland traded 3B Jhonny Peralta to Detroit just before the scheduled start, getting Class A LHP Giovanni Soto in return. … Indians RHP Kerry Wood, out since July 11 with a blister on his right index finger, is scheduled to throw one inning on a rehab assignment Thursday at Double-A Akron. The closer could be activated this weekend. … RHP Dustin Moseley will make his first start for the Yankees on Thursday. He is starting in place LHP Andy Pettitte, who is on the DL with a strained groin. Mitre made the first spot start for Pettitte but struggled.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
