The surging New York Yankees eased to a 12-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday, turning what was expected to be a tight contest between the top teams in the American League into a rout. The Yankees pounded out a seven-run fourth inning to support strong pitching from starter AJ Burnett, who struck out eight batters while allowing three runs over seven innings. Jorge Posada had three hits and four RBIs, while Hideki Matsui added a three-run home run to help the American League East-leading Yankees (31-21) secures a fifth win in six games.
"We did the talking with our bats. That's how you win games," the New York first baseman Mark Teixeira said. Texas (30-21) starter Vicente Padilla returned from the dis-abled list to pitch for the first time since May 16, but was relieved early after giving up seven runs in just 3 2/3 innings. The right-hander struggled with his control while throwing 88 pitches and walking four batters. Outfielder Nelson Cruz provided the team's only offence with a three-run home run in the third to give the Rangers a brief 3-2 advantage before the Yankees took complete control.
Johnny Damon and Robinson Cano had RBI singles in the fourth for New York, and Posada belted a three-run blast in the sixth.Derek Jeter recorded three hits and scored his 1,500th career run. Former Ranger Teixeira had his career-high 14-game hitting streak snapped and was hit twice by pitches during a contentious contest that also saw New York's Burnett throw over the head of Cruz. Teixeira's hard slide into second base broke up a potential double play in the fourth and led to a run.
"That's playing the game hard right there," Burnett said. "I think any runner would have done the same thing, but he had a little built up in him." * Reuters
