Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) – Alex Rodriguez didn’t hit his 600th career home run, but drove in three runs while both Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson added two RBI as the New York Yankees used a late burst of offense to down Cleveland, 11-4, in the finale of a four-game set.
Robinson Cano homered and Francisco Cervelli also drove in a run for the Yankees, who took three of four in the set.
“We’re playing good baseball, winning baseball,” Rodriguez said. “The thing to remember is that when I hit (my 600th home run), nothing is going to change. We’re just trying to play good baseball.”
Dustin Moseley (1-0) earned his first win of the season by limiting Cleveland to four hits and one run with four strikeouts over six full frames.
Austin Kearns and Matt LaPorta each drove in a run for the Indians, who have lost five of six.
Frank Herrmann (0-1) was charged in defeat with a run in 1 1/3 relief innings. Starter Mitch Talbot departed after two-plus innings due to a mid-back strain after allowing a run while walking four.
In the seventh, Cano’s two-out solo shot off Tony Sipp put New York ahead 3-1 before the floodgates opened. Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner walked to bring on Joe Smith, but he allowed an RBI single to Cervelli and hit Colin Curtis with a pitch to load the bases.
Jeter walked to force in a run and Granderson followed with a two-run single to right for a 7-1 game and after Mark Teixeira walked, Rodriguez lined another two-run single up the middle.
The eighth inning saw Ramiro Pena and Juan Miranda each hit pinch-hit RBI singles to give the Bombers an 11-1 edge, but infielder Andy Marte took the hill and turned in a scoreless ninth.
“Despite Talbot’s injury, we had a pretty good ball game going until the seventh inning,” said Indians manager Manny Acta. “Seven runs later, we were done.”
Cleveland got three in its final at-bat after a LaPorta single, fielding error on a Jayson Nix infield single and a wild pitch before Luis Valbuena’s deep fly to right-center ended the contest.
Cleveland picked up a run in the home first on Kearns’ sacrifice fly with the bases loaded.
Rodriguez hit a sac fly to center with one out to tie the game in the third, and the Yankees finally broke the deadlock in the sixth with a Jeter RBI single.
New York took six of eight from Cleveland this season and has won 11 of the last 16 matchups…Teixeira and Gardner walked three times, as Indians pitchers issued 12 bases on balls in the game…Curtis led all players with three runs scored.