Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

July 7, 2012

Game 1: Jones powers Yankees past Red Sox

BOSTON — This is one powerful group of Bronx Bombers.

Andruw Jones hit two of New York's four homers, Freddy Garcia pitched 6 2-3 solid innings in muggy conditions, and the Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 6-1 in the opener of a split doubleheader today.

Nick Swisher belted a three-run shot in the first, and Jayson Nix added a solo drive in the fourth as the Yankees improved to 4-0 against the Red Sox this season. Swisher snapped an 0-for-17 slide with his 13th homer.

"It's crazy, man. Like I've always said, this team's designed to hit home runs," Swisher said. "That's kind of our thing."

New York ran its baseball-best home run total to 130 and is on a pace for a club-record 254. The 1997 Seattle Mariners hold the major league record with 264.

Each of the four homers in Game 1 came against Franklin Morales (1-2).

"Yeah, his fastball kept moving in over the middle of the plate to right-handed hitters. He couldn't control it," Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said. "He gave up the home runs to home-run hitters in hitters' counts."

Derek Jeter had three singles for New York, which won its third straight

The Red Sox have lost five in a row and seven of nine.

The Yankees, who improved their major league-best record to 51-32, came into the day hitting just .232 with runners in scoring position. But they got plenty of offense in the doubleheader opener, boosted by a pair of consecutive homers.

Boston's Adrian Gonzalez matched his career-best hitting streak at 17 games with a fourth-inning single.

All-Star slugger Robinson Cano went 1 for 4 and scored a run for New York, but his streak of games with at least one RBI was snapped at nine. He equaled Jeter's 2004 surge as the longest by a Yankee since Reggie Jackson went 11 in a row in 1979.

Morales lasted just 3 1/3 innings, yielding six runs and six hits.

"I was just throwing my pitches and missing," he said. "I missed with my fastball and they hit homers."

Like the series opener, the Yankees jumped ahead with a big first inning. This time, they used their biggest offensive tool — the home run.

Swisher sent a 1-0 pitch into the last row of seats above the Green Monster after Jeter opened the game with a single and Cano was hit by a pitch with two outs. Jones followed with a drive to the same spot.

Garcia (3-2) gave up one run and six hits under overcast skies, improving to 10-4 in 23 career games against Boston.

"I just think how he was able to shut the lineup down." Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "Look how explosive they were last night. He gave up one run in 6 2-3. He did an amazing job, he used all his pitches."

The Yankees hit consecutive homers again in the fourth when Jones and Nix each sent one into the Monster seats. It was Jones' 43rd career multihomer game.

"It's nice. Get a lead early, four or five runs, just got out go out there and shut it down," Garcia said. "And that's what I did."

Mauro Gomez had an RBI single in the fourth for Boston.

On Friday, New York scored five first-inning runs in a 10-8 victory. Boston tied it with five in the bottom half before the Yankees rallied in the seventh.

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