Homers Power Yankees to Victory

 

The bats broke out in a strong way today, with the Yankees offense smacking the ball all over the park as they clobbered five home runs after only having seven long balls as a team through their first eleven games. They now have twelve homers in as many games and are beginning to look like the offense that everyone envisioned before the start of the season. The biggest home runs belonged to catcher Brian McCann, who struggled extensively since joining the Yankees. Not only did he hit two home runs, but each one came with a runner on and the balls were not wall scrapers. McCann hit both balls deep to right and right center field as he collected 4 RBI which was the difference in the game. Opening the scoring was Carlos Beltran in the first after a two-out bunt single by Jacoby Ellsbury. Beltran also had a double in the game as he too, begins to hit his stride with the Yankees. Soriano hit a homer that made it into the first or second row of the right field seats and capping the scoring was Kelly Johnson with a monster shot to straightaway center field and into Monument Park. The offense as a whole had fourteen hits to Boston's seven and each member of the Yankees starting lineup collected a hit except for Roberts, who has been struggling at the plate for about a week now. As if all of these home runs were not already god enough news, the Yankees expect Mark Teixeira to be ready next Sunday in Tampa Bay, on the day he is eligible to come off the DL.

Hiroki Kuroda pitched a solid 6.1 innings, allowing only two runs while pitching on a homer by Boston catcher AJ Pierzynski. Following Kuroda's departure from the game Matt Thornton struggled, allowing the remaining runners to score that were Kuroda's responsibility. Three walks is excessive for Kuroda, but until the seventh inning he was able to strand runners and get key outs when he needed to. After Thornton, the next three relievers delivered 2.1 perfect innings. Adam Warren continues to show that he is the deserving man of being the Yankees regular eighth inning reliever and Shawn Kelley came back from a bad outing against the Orioles on Wednesday in a tie game that he ended up losing in the ninth after allowing two runs. With Robertson on the disabled list, it will be important for the combination of Warren and Kelley to pitch well in the last two innings of games with a lead. The pair has done well, specifically Warren who looks like a devastating strikeout pitcher.

In tomorrow night's finale, the Yankees will look to take 3 out of 4 from the Red Sox with Ivan Nova on the mound. Nova has pitched horribly in his first two starts and looks like he is losing focus on the mound. Felix Doubront will face the Yankees, and the Yankees are familiar with the lefty and have had success off him in the past.