CLEVELAND — 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.
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.—AP

Is there honestly a better feeling in the world than taking it to the Red Sox at Fenway? I really don’t think there is. It always makes for a good night’s sleep after a thrashing of the hated Red Sox Nation.

As I was watching the game yesterday, I could do nothing but smile as I watched the chowdas go down in a blaze of glory as Phil Hughes and the Yankees offensive firepower was too much for Josh Beckett and the Red Sox.

One of the best things about this victory is that the Yankees are playing with a beaten up lineup. They went into the game with two starters (Posada and Granderson) recovering from injuries, and finished the game with two more injured players in Robinson Cano and Nick Johnson with a sore knee from a wild pitch, and a sore wrist.

How the Yankees continue to dominate is beyond me, however, I am enjoying the ride. Aren’t you?

The New York Yankees battered the Boston Red Sox and took some more lumps themselves.Nick Swisher hit a three-run homer in an 11-hit attack that carried the Yankees to their fifth straight win, 10-3 on Friday night. But their injury list grew when they lost Nick Johnson in the fifth inning with a sore right wrist and Robinson Cano in the sixth after he was hit on the left knee by a suddenly wild Josh Beckett.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Rodriguez is back in the New York Yankees’ lineup, and manager Joe Girardi is hoping struggling starter Javier Vazquez just needs a couple extra days to snap out of his funk.

Vazquez’s scheduled start at Boston has been pushed back to Monday at Detroit, giving the right-hander more time to work on his stuff after a rough beginning this year. Vazquez is 1-3 with a 9.78 ERA in his second stint with New York.

Girardi says he thinks Vazquez’s problems have affected him mentally and physically.

Rodriguez rested during New York’s 12-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. He says he felt some cramping in his right leg Saturday but is fine now.