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For the second time in a week, Seattle reliever David Aardsma was victimized by Alex Rodriguez. With the score tied at one in the top of the ninth, Rodriguez delivered a two-out, two-run double to lift New York to a 3-1 win over Seattle Thursday night at Safeco Field.

Last Thursday, Rodriguez hit a two-run, go-ahead home run off Aardsma in the bottom of the eighth inning en route to a 4-2 Yankees win.

New York matched a season-high with their sixth consecutive win. Seattle lost their fourth straight and dropped to 1-7 in the month of July.

Derek Jeter walked with one out in the top of the ninth. Nick Swisher, who was voted to the All-Star Game earlier in the day, then doubled to right field to put runners at second and third. Swisher finished the game with four hits and is batting .571 (12-21) in his last five games.

After Mark Teixeira fouled out for the second out, Rodriguez slapped a two-run single between first and second base to plate the game-winning runs. Rodriguez has tallied seven RBI in his last three games.

Andy Pettitte (11-2), who was added to the AL All-Star roster on Monday, limited Seattle to one run on five hits over eight innings. He struck out nine and walked four. Pettitte entered the game with a career 4.51 ERA in 22 starts against the Mariners. Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect ninth for his 20th save.

Jason Vargas was equally as effective in shutting down the powerful Yankees offense. He pitched seven innings of one run ball while allowing nine hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Vargas had allowed nine runs and 15 hits in his last 9.1 innings. Aardsma (0-6) suffered the loss in relief.

Both teams had opportunities to score in the first inning. New York put the first two runners on base with an error and single. However, Teixeira hit into a double play and Rodriguez lined out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the first, Ichiro Suzuki reached on an infield single. Chone Figgins followed with a single, but Brett Gardner threw out Suzuki at third base. Pettitte retired the next two batters to end the inning.

Seattle finally broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the sixth inning. Josh Wilson and Michael Saunders started the inning with back-to-back singles. Suzuki then bunted back to Pettitte, who promptly threw the ball past Teixeira and down the right field line to allow Wilson to score from second.

After committing the error to allow the go-ahead run to score, Pettitte settled down with runners at second and third and no outs. Figgins grounded out and Franklin Gutierrez was intentionally walked to load the bases. Pettitte responded by striking out Russell Branyan and Jose Lopez to end the scoring threat.

New York tied the game in the top of the eighth. With runners at first and second, reliever Brian Sweeney uncorked a wild pitch to move the runners up one base. Rodriguez scored the tying run when Jorge Posada hit into a 4-4-3 double play.

A pair of All-Star pitchers will be featured in Friday’s second game of the series. Phil Hughes (10-2, 3.83) will start for New York, while Seattle will counter with Cliff Lee (8-3, 2.34). First pitch is set for 10:10 p.m. ET.

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After a miserable June, A.J. Burnett has apparently returned to form.

Burnett limited Oakland to two runs over seven innings as New York topped Oakland, 6-2, Wednesday night at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

New York won their fifth straight while sweeping a three-game series in Oakland for the first time since May 13-15, 2005. Oakland only totaled four runs and 16 hits as they suffered their fourth three-game sweep of the season.

Coming off 6.2 scoreless innings last Friday against Toronto, Burnett (7-7) allowed two runs on five hits over seven innings. He struck out three and walked two and earned his first victory since defeating Cleveland on May 30.

Gio Gonzalez (7-6) suffered the loss after allowing five runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and five walks in four innings. He entered the game only allowing one earned run over his last 19.2 innings.

The game did not start well for the Yankees, however, as New York was unable to take advantage of early scoring opportunities.

In the top of the first, the Yankees loaded the bases with one out, but Gonzalez struck out Jorge Posada and Marcus Thames. Derek Jeter hit into an inning-ending double play with runners at first and second in the second inning. With Nick Swisher at third, and one out in the third inning, Alex Rodriguez and Posada struck out to end the inning.

While the Yankees struggled to take advantage of scoring opportunities, Oakland grabbed the lead in the bottom of the third.

Burnett retired the first two hitters before walking number nine hitter Cliff Pennington. After a wild pitch, Pennington scored on Coco Crisp’s RBI single. Crisp entered the at-bat 1-for-14 in his career against Burnett.

After Francisco Cervelli hit into a double play in the top of the fourth, Brett Gardner walked and then stole second. Gardner came around to score on Ramiro Pena’s RBI single.

After a wild pitch advanced Pena to second, Jeter delivered his second RBI in as many days. Prior to Tuesday’s game, Jeter had not driven in a run in 19 consecutive games.

Swisher then walked to keep the inning alive with runners at first and second. Mark Teixeira followed with a homer over the center field wall.  This was Teixeira’s second home run of the series (15th of the season) and it gave the Yankees a 5-1 advantage.

New York increased their lead in the top of the sixth on Swisher’s solo home run. It was the 14th home run of the season for Swisher, who finished the game 3-for-4, a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. He entered the game only hitting .211 (15-71) against his former team. 

Oakland answered with a run in the bottom of the sixth. With runners at first and second and two outs, Jack Cust’s RBI single cut the Yankees lead to 6-2. Cust had been 1-for-15 in his career against Burnett prior to his run-scoring single.

New York will start their final series before the All-Star break in Seattle on Thursday. Andy Pettitte (10-2, 2.82) will start the first game of the four-game series.

The Mariners will counter with Jason Vargas (6-4, 3.22). First pitch is set for 10:10 p.m. ET.

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Alex Rodriguez provided most of the offense and CC Sabathia took care of the Oakland offense Monday night. Rodriguez homered twice and drove in five, while Sabathia allowed one run in 7.2 innings as New York defeated Oakland, 6-1, at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

New York won their fourth straight and guaranteed their fifth consecutive series win in Oakland. The Athletics, who are 1-4 against the Yankees this season, are only batting .172 (25-145) against New York pitching this season.

Rodriguez’s first home run of the evening occurred in New York’s five-run top of the third. After Derek Jeter’s RBI fielder’s choice tied the game at one, Mark Teixeira was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Rodriguez then sent a 3-1 pitch over the left centerfield wall for his 13th home run of the season.

It was his third grand slam of the season and his 21st career grand slam. Rodriguez also hit three grand slams in a season in 1996, 1999 and 2007.

In the top of the sixth inning, Rodriguez extended the Yankees lead. With one out, Rodriguez homered over the center field wall to give New York a 6-1 advantage.

While Rodriguez provided the power, Sabathia (11-3) shut down the Oakland offense after allowing a first inning run. He allowed one run on seven hits over 7.2 innings while striking out a season-high 10 and walking three. Sabathia entered the game 2-5 with a 5.95 ERA in his career at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

With the win, Sabathia tied a career-high with a victory in seven consecutive starts. He also won seven straight starts with Cleveland from Aug. 5 to Sept. 7, 2005.

Trevor Cahill (8-3) suffered his first home loss of the season. Cahill , who was 4-0 with a 1.35 ERA at home this season, allowed six runs on four hits over six innings. He struck out four and walked one.

Cahill has only allowed 14 hits in his last four starts. Oakland opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first. Coco Crisp led off with a single and advanced to third on a stolen base and wild pitch. With two outs, Kevin Kouzmanoff doubled down the third base line to score Crisp and give the Athletics the early lead.

New York and Oakland will complete their three-game series on Wednesday. A.J. Burnett (6-7, 4.90), who has not won since May 30, will start for the Yankees. The Athletics will send

Gio Gonzalez (7-5, 3.50) to the mound. First pitch is set for 10:05 p.m. ET.

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Javier Vazquez entered Monday’s game as the only Yankees starter with a losing record. Not only did he improve his record to the .500 mark, but he also won for the first time in more than three weeks.

Vazquez limited Oakland to one run over seven innings as New York topped Oakland, 3-1, Monday night at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

New York improved to 51-31 to go 20 games over .500 for the first time this season. Oakland dropped to 1-4 this season against the Yankees.

Vazquez (7-7) allowed one run on three hits over seven innings while striking out two and walking two. He won for the first time since defeating Houston on June 12; however, the Yankees were shutout in two of his last three starts. Vazquez also defeated Oakland on April 20 for his first win of the season. One day after blowing his second save of the season, Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect ninth for his 19th save.

Ben Sheets (3-8) pitched effectively but suffered the lost. The final score has been 3-1 in both games he has started against the Yankees this season. Sheets allowed three runs on eight hits over 7.1 innings. He struck out four and did not walk a batter.
 
New York opened the scoring with a two out rally in the top of the second. Former Athletic Nick Swisher doubled to right field and scored on an RBI triple by Curtis Granderson. It was Granderson’s first RBI since his game-winning home run at Arizona on June 23. Francisco Cervelli followed with a run-scoring single up the middle to give the Yankees a 2-0 advantage.

Oakland got one of the runs back in the bottom of the third. With one out, Cliff Pennington tripled off the right field wall. He came around to score on Coco Crisp’s sacrifice fly RBI.

New York completed the scoring in the top of the sixth on Mark Teixeira’s 14th home run of the season. He entered the at-bat 1-for-9 in his career against Sheets.

New York and Oakland will resume their three-game series on Tuesday. CC Sabathia (10-3, 3.33) will start for the Yankees, while the Athletics will counter with Trevor Cahill (8-2, 2.74). First pitch is set for 10:05 p.m. ET.

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Alex Gonzalez’s RBI single with the bases loaded in the top of the 11th inning started a five-run rally as Toronto topped New York, 6-1, Friday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

Toronto ended a five-game losing streak with the win. New York lost for the third time in their last four games and dropped to 1-4 this season against the Blue Jays.

With the score tied at one in the top of the 11th, Lyle Overbay singled to lead off the inning against Yankee reliever David Robertson (0-3). After another single by John Buck, Jarrett Hoffpauir moved both runners up one base with a sacrifice bunt. Fred Lewis was intentionally walked to load the bases prior to Gonzalez’s run-scoring single to give Toronto the lead.

The Blue Jays broke the game off of reliever Chan Ho Park. After Jose Bautista struck out, Park forced in a run by walking Vernon Wells. DeWayne Wise then cleared the bases with a three-run triple over the head of center fielder Curtis Granderson to give Toronto a 6-1 advantage.

A.J. Burnett, who was 0-5 with a 7.68 ERA in the month of June, had his best start since his last win on May 30 against Cleveland. He limited Toronto to four hits over 6.2 innings while striking out six and walking three. Burnett allowed six runs in six innings in a 6-1 loss to the Blue Jays on June 4.

Brett Cecil nearly matched Burnett in his six innings of work. Despite walking six, Cecil held New York to one run on four hits with five strikeouts. He has only allowed two runs and nine hits in two starts against the Yankees this season. Jason Frasor (3-1) pitched a perfect 10th inning to earn the win.

For the second consecutive game, the Yankees grabbed an early lead with a first inning run. Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher walked to begin the game. After both runners moved up a base on Mark Teixeira’s ground out, Jeter scored on Alex Rodriguez’s sacrifice fly.

New York wasted a of golden scoring opportunity in the bottom of the third. The Yankees loaded the bases with no outs on a single and two walks. With the middle of the lineup coming up to bat, Cecil struck out Rodriguez and Robinson Cano and induced Jorge Posada to hit into an inning-ending ground out to strand the runners.

After being shutout for the first seven innings, Toronto finally broke through in the top of the eighth off Joba Chamberlain. Jose Bautista walked and advanced to third on a two-out single by Adam Lind. Aaron Hill followed with an RBI single past Rodriguez at third base to tie the game at one.

Toronto and New York will resume their series on Saturday afternoon. Ricky Romero (6-4, 2.83) will start for the Blue Jays, while the Yankees will counter with Andy Pettitte (9-2, 2.72). First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.

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Hitting a home run with the game tied has all of a sudden become commonplace for Alex Rodriguez.

With the scored tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Alex Rodriguez hit a go-ahead, two-run home run to lift New York to a 4-2 win over Seattle Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

It was the second time in less than a week that Rodriguez allotted the Yankees a lead with a home run. His sixth inning blast last Friday in Los Angeles was the difference in the Yankees 2-1 win over the Dodgers.

New York ended a two-game losing streak and avoided their first three-game series sweep of the season. Seattle missed a chance to sweep the Yankees in New York for the first time since May 3-5, 2002.

After Seattle tied the game in the top of the eighth, Mark Teixeira singled with one out in the bottom half of the inning. Rodriguez then sent a high fastball from Mariners closer David Aardsma over the right field wall for his 12th home run of the season. It was also his 595th career home run.

Rodriguez’s home run allowed CC Sabathia to improve to 10-3.. Sabathia allowed two runs on five hits over eight innings while striking out four and walking two.

Sabathia improved to 11-0 in his last 15 regular season starts at Yankee Stadium. Seattle was the last team to hand Sabathia a home loss on July 2, 2009. Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect ninth for his 18th save.

Despite entering the game with a 1-7 record and a 6.18 ERA, Ryan Rowland-Smith pitched effectively for six innings and received a no decision. He limited the Yankees to two runs on five hits while striking out two and walking three. Aardsma (0-5), who entered the game with a career 7.94 ERA against the Yankees, suffered the loss in relief.

After being shutout on Wednesday, the Yankees scored quickly off of Rowland-Smith. Derek Jeter led off with an infield single, and Nick Swisher followed with a double. Jeter eventually scored on Teixeira’s RBI grounder.

New York extended their lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth on Robinson Cano’s solo home run over the right center field wall. It was his team-leading 16th home run.

Seattle managed to tie the game in the top of the eighth. With runners at first and second and two outs, a passed ball by Jorge Posada allowed the runners to move up a base. Russell Branyan followed with a two-run single to right, tying the contest at 2-2.

New York will welcome Toronto to Yankee Stadium on Friday for a three-game holiday weekend series. A.J. Burnett, (6-7, 5.25) who was 0-5 in the month of June, will start for the Yankees. The Blue Jays will counter with Brett Cecil (7-5, 4.39). Toronto won two of three from New York last month at Rogers Centre. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. ET.

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One of the most highly anticipated inter-league series this season has already lived up to expectations. CC Sabathia limited Los Angeles to one run over eight innings as the Yankees topped the Dodgers, 2-1, Friday night at Dodger Stadium.

The story going into the game was Dodgers manager Joe Torre facing the team he managed for 12 seasons. During his time in New York, Torre won 1,173 games and led the Yankees to six AL pennants and four World Series championships.

By the time the game ended, however, Sabathia (9-3) was the story. He held Los Angeles to one run on four hits with seven strikeouts and three walks over eight innings. Sabathia won his fourth consecutive start and improved to 4-1 in inter-league games with the Yankees. Mariano Rivera struck out the side in the ninth for his 17th save.

Vincente Padilla (1-2) pitched effectively but was the hard-luck loser. In seven innings, he allowed two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and one walk.

Alex Rodriguez provided the winning margin in the top of the sixth. With the game tied at one and one out, Rodriguez hit his 10th home run of the season over the left field wall to give New York a 2-1 advantage. Rodriguez entered the game hitting just .145 (8-55) in his career against Los Angeles.

Los Angeles scored early off Sabathia. Rafael Furcal led off the bottom of the first with a walk. After moving to third on a stolen base and groundout, he scored on Manny Ramirez’s two-out RBI single. Ramirez entered the game a career .321 (233-725) hitter against the Yankees.

The Yankees immediately answered in the top of the second. Rodriguez led off with a double and came around to score on Jorge Posada’s game-tying RBI single.

New York and Los Angeles will continue their three-game series on Saturday. A.J. Burnett (6-6, 4.83) will start for the Yankees, while the Dodgers will counter with Hiroki Kuroda (6-5, 3.06). First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m.

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The Yankees were not only looking for a win to end their losing streak, they also hoped to revitalize their recent sluggish offensive performances.

One night after being shutout for the third time this season, the Yankees used a pair of two-run home runs to power past the Mets, 5-3, Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

With the win the Yankees ended a season-high four-game losing streak. The Mets lost for only the second time in 11 interleague games this season.

For the second consecutive game, the Mets scored in the top of the first. Jose Reyes deposited the second pitch of the game from Phil Hughes over the right field wall for his fourth home run of the season.

The Yankees tied the game in the bottom of the first inning. With runners at first and third and one out, Mark Teixeira grounded into a double play, allowing Brett Gardner to score from third.

Reyes promptly untied the game in the top of the third with his second home run of the game, a two-run blast to right field. It was his sixth career multi-home run game.

The Mets lead was short-lived as the Yankees tied the game in the bottom half of the inning. With a runner at first and one out, Teixeira homered deep over the right center field wall to tie the game at three. It was his 11th home run of the season.

Jorge Posada walked to lead off the bottom of the fourth. He came around to score on Curtis Granderson’s sixth home run of the season, a two-run blast over the right field wall to give the Yankees a 5-3 lead.

Hughes (10-1), who lost his only game of the season to the Mets on May 22, became the second American League pitcher to win 10 games. He allowed three runs on five hits over seven innings with four strikeouts and three walks. Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 16th save.

Mike Pelfrey (9-2) suffered his first loss since May 1. In seven innings pitched, he allowed five runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and three walks. Pelfrey allowed two home runs after only giving up three home runs coming into the game.

A pair of left-handed pitchers will close out the Subway Series on Sunday afternoon. Johan Santana (5-3, 3.13) will take the mound for the Mets, while the Yankees will counter with CC Sabathia (7-3, 4.00). First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. ET.

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During his 12 years in Toronto, Roy Halladay was usually lights out against the Yankees. Now with Philadelphia, Halladay was looking to continue his dominance of New York Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees roughed up Halladay for six runs, including three home runs, and topped Philadelphia, 8-3, in the opener of a three-game series that is a rematch of last year’s World Series.

New York won their ninth consecutive home game, while Philadelphia suffered their sixth loss in their last eight games. Both teams started the season 24-13 and New York is 17-10 in their last 27 games. Meanwhile, Philadelphia is 8-17 in their last 25 games.

The game featured two of the best pitchers in their respective leagues. CC Sabathia (7-3) won his third consecutive start for the first time this season. It was also his first win against an opponent other than Baltimore since he defeated Texas on April 16. Sabathia allowed three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and three walks over seven innings.

Halladay (8-5), who entered the game with an 18-6 career record and three shutouts against New York, allowed six runs on eight hits in six innings. He also struck out five and walked two. Halladay has allowed a whopping 12 earned runs in two interleague starts against Boston and New York this season.

New York opened the scoring in the bottom of the second. After Nick Swisher singled and Jorge Posada walked, Brett Gardner brought home both runners with a two-run triple to give the Yankees an early advantage.

The Yankees extended their lead via the long ball in the bottom of the third. Curtis Granderson led off the inning with his fifth home run of the season. It was the first home run Halladay allowed this season to a left-handed batter. After Robinson Cano doubled, Swisher, batting from the left side, deposited a ball over the right field wall for his 11th home run of the season.

Trailing 5-0, Philadelphia mounted a rally in the top of the fourth. The Phillies loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a hit batter. Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez delivered back-to-back RBI singles, and Ben Francisco added a run-scoring fielder’s choice to cut the Yankees lead to 5-3.

While Sabathia and two relievers kept Philadelphia off the scoreboard over the final five innings, New York extended their lead. In the bottom of the fifth, Mark Teixeira hit a solo home run that just cleared the right field wall. The Yankees completed the scoring in the bottom of the seventh on Francisco Cervelli’s two-out, two-run single.

New York and Philadelphia will continue their three-game series on Wednesday. Kyle Kendrick (3-2, 4.80) will start for the Phillies against the Yankees’ A.J. Burnett (6-4, 3.86). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.

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Prior to yesterday’s game, Jorge Posada had been in a 4-for-30 slump over his last nine games. However, Posada has appeared to put his slump behind him.

One day after belting a grand slam in Saturday’s win, Posada delivered an encore with a grand slam in New York’s 9-5 win over Houston Sunday at Yankee Stadium. Posada became the first Yankee to hit grand slams in consecutive games since Bill Dickey in 1937.

New York won for the sixth time in the last seven games.  With Tampa Bay’s loss to Florida, the Yankees tied the Rays for first place in the AL East. Houston suffered a series sweep for the seventh time this season.  

The Yankees loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth when Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher walked. Casey Daige came out of the Houston bullpen to relieve Gustavo Chacin and face Posada with the bases loaded and two outs.

Posada proceeded to deposit a pitch deep over the right field wall for his second grand slam in as many days to give the Yankees a 7-1 lead. It was also his ninth career grand slam. In his career against Houston, Posada is batting .444 (8-18) with four home runs and 13 RBI.

However, Houston immediately responded in the top of the sixth. With runners at second and third and two outs, Tommy Manzella fouled off five pitches before delivering a two-run single. Kevin Cash, who played in 10 games for the New York last season, followed with a two-run home run over the left field wall to cut the Yankees lead to 7-5.

After Houston’s four-run rally in the top half of the inning, New York added to their lead in the bottom of the sixth. With runners at first and second and one out, Swisher brought in a run with a run-scoring single. After Posada struck out, Brett Gardner added an RBI single to give New York a 9-5 advantage.

Phil Hughes (9-1) won his fourth consecutive start after allowing five runs on seven hits over 5.2 innings. He also struck out six and walked two. Four Yankee relievers combined to limit the Astros to only one hit over the final 3.1 innings.

Brian Moehler (0-3) suffered the loss after allowing four runs on four hits with four walks and five strikeouts over 4.2 innings.

Houston grabbed their first lead of the series in the top of the first. With runners at second and third and one out, Carlos Lee drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to deep center. Hughes avoided further damage by striking out Cory Sullivan to end the inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, Robinson Cano put the Yankees on the scoreboard with his 13th home run of the season. Cano also became the 36th player with at least 100 home runs as a Yankee.

After Moehler struck out Nick Swisher for the second out of the fourth, the Yankees put together a two-out rally. Moehler walked three consecutive batters to bring Ramiro Pena to the plate with the bases loaded. Pena, who was starting at third base in place of Alex Rodriguez, delivered a two-run single to give New York a 3-1 lead.  

After a Monday off day, New York will welcome Philadelphia to Yankee Stadium for a 2009 World Series rematch. Roy Halladay (8-4, 1.96) will start for the Phillies, while the Yankees will counter with CC Sabathia (6-3, 4.01). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET.

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