MLB

Jeter hits 250th HR to lead Yanks over Red Sox 6-4

Derek Jeter hit his 250th home run, Nick Swisher connected twice and the Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 6-4 on a lightning-filled Friday night for their eighth win in 10 games.

Swisher, Curtis Granderson, Russell Martin and Jeter hit solo homers off Franklin Morales (3-4), and Swisher added another solo shot in the seventh against Clayton Mortensen. Jeter’s homer gave the Yankees 10 players with 10 or more this season, tying the club record set in 1998.

Phil Hughes (12-10) survived his own throwing error that led to four unearned runs during a rainy third inning. Down 3-0, the Red Sox went ahead on Dustin Pedroia’s three-run homer, the 28th long ball off Hughes this year.

New York, which has led the AL East since mid-June, improved to 7-3 against the Red Sox this season. Boston has not won consecutive games since Aug. 5-6.

Hughes had a curious outing, retiring 19 of 21 batters not counting the third inning. In all, he allowed four hits, struck out four and walked one.

David Robertson pitched the eighth, when Granderson ran down Pedroia’s one-on drive just in front of the wall in left-center, the deepest part of the ballpark. Rafael Soriano finished for his 30th save in 32 chances, completing a five-hitter. The only previous time he reached the 30-save mark was when he had 45 for Tampa Bay in 2010.

Morales gave up five runs and six hits in 5 1-3 innings. He also allowed four home runs against the Yankees on July 7.

Swisher homered in the first, Granderson went deep with one out in the second and Martin connected two pitches later. With a 2-0 count on Jayson Nix, a bolt of lightning was seen beyond center field and the grounds crew came out to work on the mound as rain fell.

Play turned as sloppy as the field in the third. Mike Aviles singled and Hughes threw away Scott Podsednik’s comebacker for an error that left runners at the corners. Pedro Ciriaco hit an RBI grounder, Jacoby Ellsbury walked and, with two outs, Pedroia hit a no-doubt drive to left.

Jeter’s homer tied it in the fifth, and the Yankees went ahead in the sixth. One-out singles by Casey McGehee and Granderson chased Morales, and Nix’s two-out single off Mortensen put New York ahead 5-4.

NOTES: Red Sox LHP Felix Doubront, out since Aug. 9 because of a right knee issue, threw off a mound in a session of about 45 pitches. He is to have another mound session and might pitch in a game next week. … Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said David Ortiz, on the DL since July 18 because of a strained right Achillies tendon, won’t play this weekend. … Swisher also homered twice April 28 vs. Detroit. It was the 12th time he homered from both sides of the plate, one behind teammate Mark Teixeira’s major league-leading total. It also was Swisher’s 19th multihomer game. … Teixeira sat out to rest his sore left wrist. … The crowd of 49,422 was the Yankees’ ninth home sellout this year. … Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez, out since he got hurt July 24, will have his broken left hand X-rayed again Sunday.

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