Bronx, NY - Shelley Duncan capped a 10-run fourth inning with a three-run homer and added a solo shot in the sixth, as the New York Yankees again roughed up Tampa Bay pitching in a 21-4 victory over the Devil Rays at Yankee Stadium.
After Tampa Bay pounded the Yankees in a 14-4 victory on Friday, New York won the last three games of the series by outscoring the Devil Rays 45-12. The Yankees swept Saturday’s day/night doubleheader by scores of 7-3 and 17-5.
Hideki Matsui and Bobby Abreu added solo homers while Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano chipped in two-run shots for the Yankees, who have won five straight series and are 14-5 in their last 19 games during that span. They’ve captured three of four in each of their first three series since the All-Star break, beating Tampa twice and Toronto, and will next head to the road for a four-game set at Kansas City.
Andy Pettitte was the beneficiary of Sunday’s power surge, allowing three runs and eight hits over six innings to improve to 2-0 in three starts since the All-Star break. Pettitte (6-6), who walked three and struck out eight, also beat Tampa Bay last week and has won his last 12 decisions against the Devil Rays.
James Shields (8-6) absorbed the beating for Tampa Bay, as he was shelled for a career-high 10 runs on 10 hits in just 3 1/3 innings. He fell to 0-4 lifetime against New York.
Carlos Pena homered and Josh Wilson singled home two runs for the Devil Rays, who won two of three from the Angels before the visit to the Bronx. Delmon Young had three hits in defeat.
The Devil Rays tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the third on a two-run single by Wilson, but the Yankees sent 14 men to the plate in the bottom of the inning and answered with 10 runs to blow it open.
Cano tripled to ignite the outburst and scored on a base hit by Andy Phillips, who took second on a walk to Duncan and advanced to third on a fielder’s choice by Melky Cabrera. Derek Jeter then singled home Phillips to make it 5-3 and the floodgates opened.
Abreu singled in Phillips and the runners tried to pull off a double steal from first and second. Catcher Dioner Navarro tried to gun down Abreu at second, but his throw skipped into center field, allowing Jeter to score. After Rodriguez drew a walk, Matsui singled to knock in a run and chase Shields.
Jorge Posada, though, greeted Casey Fossum with an RBI single to make it 9-3 and Cano added his second hit of the inning — another run-scoring single — before Phillips fanned. Duncan then connected for his second homer since joining the team on Friday to extend New York’s cushion to 13-3.
After a walk to Cabrera, Jeter grounded out to mercifully end the inning.
Abreu belted his eighth homer of the season in the fifth and Duncan added his second of the game leading off the sixth. After Johnny Damon doubled in a run later in the inning, Rodriguez chipped in his 34th homer of the year and the 498th of his career to extend the Yankee lead to 18-3.
New York tacked on three more in the eighth on a two-run blast by Cano and a run-scoring single by Cabrera, before the Devil Rays got an unearned run in the ninth on an RBI base hit by Jonny Gomes.
Every Yankee position player had at least one hit and scored at least one run. The 25 hits set a Yankee season high and marked the most ever recorded by a Tampa Bay opponent. The previous Devil Rays record for hits allowed was 23, set by the Yankees on June 21, 2005.
Gary Glover was the only Tampa Bay pitcher to not allow a hit or run. He worked 1 2/3 innings with three strikeouts and a hit batter.
Pena connected for his 23rd homer of the season to lead off the top of the second to put Tampa Bay on the board first, but Matsui answered with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning — his 17th of the campaign — to tie it. New York went on top in the third on RBI singles by Abreu and Rodriguez.
Game Notes
Pettitte improved to 13-1 lifetime against Tampa Bay…Tampa Bay All-Star Carl Crawford missed his second straight game with a mild left ankle sprain, an injury he suffered in the opener of Saturday’s twinbill…The Yankees designated catcher Wil Nieves for assignment before the game to make room on the roster for newly-acquired catcher Jose Molina…New York improved to 7-5 against Tampa Bay this season…The Devil Rays fell to 4-16 in their last 20 road games.
