BALTIMORE – Three wins over the pitching-pathetic Orioles shouldn’t have people believing the Yankees have borrowed a bit of Lazarus’ medicine.
Darrell Rasner and Carl “American Idle” Pavano reside in the back of the rotation, the bullpen before Mariano Rivera is wobbly and the remaining schedule is far too brutal to believe the Yankees can avoid the pinstriped coffins they have been measured for.
However, yesterday’s marathon 8-7 victory over the Orioles in front of a sweltering Camden Yards crowd of 42,746, completed a three-game sweep and made three games against the Red Sox beginning tomorrow night at Yankee Stadium worth monitoring.
“Being able to sweep Baltimore puts us in a better situation against Boston,” said Johnny Damon, who went 2-for-6 and swatted a three-run homer off Daniel Cabrera in the four-run second.
In addition to taking four hours and a minute to complete in 90-degree heat, the Yankees flushed an early five-run lead and watched relievers David Robertson and Edwar Ramirez struggle, but they won thanks to Damon’s homer and Robinson Cano’s solo blast that snapped a 7-7 tie in the seventh. Cano went 4-for-5 and drove in two runs.
Bobby Abreu had three hits and Xavier Nady drove in two runs.
Rasner joined Robertson and Ramirez on the ineffective list by giving up five runs (three earned) and eight hits in 31/3 innings. Damaso Marte, who admitted after the game that he battled an inflamed elbow recently, fanned three and didn’t give up a hit in 11/3 innings.
Marte struck out Nick Markakis and Melvin Mora to end the seventh with two runners on.
“Those were huge outs,” manager Joe Girardi said of his lone lefty reliever.
Rivera recorded the final four outs for his third save in as many days and 31st of the season in 32 attempts.
His 11/3 innings matched Friday night’s outing.
“There is no tomorrow, you have to come and do what you have to do,” said Rivera, who caught the left-handed hitting Markakis looking on a 1-2 cutter on the outside corner to end the game with Brian Roberts at third via a walk, stolen base and Pudge Rodriguez’s throwing error.
When play started on Aug. 16 the Yankees were seven games out of first in the wild card race. Today they are five back of the Red Sox.
With 32 games remaining it’s a sizeable gap to close and the Yankees have the Twins between them and their blood rivals.
However, there are six games left with the Red Sox, enough to give some a flicker of hope.
Unlike in his three previous games against the Yankees, Cabrera wasn’t a mystery.
The right-hander, who was 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts versus the Yankees this season, didn’t get out of the fourth inning.
He allowed seven runs, nine hits, walked three, hit a batter and gave up Damon’s three-run homer in the four-run fourth.
No game today is a blessing for the Yankees, who figure to go to Rivera every chance that is provided. Naturally, he is up to the challenge.
“Three days, four days, as long as you are helping the team, it’s not about yourself,” Rivera said.
Yankees 8
Orioles 7