| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- It didn't turn out to be such a bad
road trip for the New York Yankees, after all.
The two-time defending World Series champions may have only won
six of 13 games over the past two weeks, but they got back Roger
Clemens and Orlando Hernandez and only lost a half-game in the
standings while going through their most difficult stretch of the
season.
|  | | Roger Clemens passed Bob Gibson for 38th on the career wins list. |
Clemens (5-6) returned from the disabled list Sunday to pitch
seven impressive innings in a 5-2 victory over Tampa Bay. Hernandez
rejoined the rotation and stopped the Devil Rays on Saturday.
Suddenly, New York looks like it's back on solid footing.
"We really don't focus on what the other teams are doing. If we
win, we'll be in a good position. You can't sit here and start
looking at the scoreboard," shortstop Derek Jeter said after
Sunday's win moved the second-place Yankees within one game of AL
East-leading Toronto.
"Right now, we're in July," Jeter added. "If we play our type
of baseball, we're capable of beating anyone. If we don't, anyone
is capable of beating us."
David Justice drove in two runs for his first RBI in a New York
uniform and Scott Brosius hit a two-run homer off Steve Trachsel
(6-8).
It was the pitching of Clemens, though, that gave the Yankees a
lift.
The five-time Cy Young Award winner, sidelined nearly three
weeks with a strained right groin, gave up one run and three hits.
He struck out five and walked two to move ahead of Bob Gibson into
38th on the all-time list with 252 victories.
"I saw the aura in walking around the clubhouse early. You
could just see he was stalking and just seemed very focused,"
manager Joe Torre said. "He had his game face on and it just
looked like he was anxious to get out there."
Torre read Clemens perfectly.
"I'm pretty much the same all the time. I'm always revved up
pretty good. I just wanted to make sure I was loose," Clemens
said.
"It's good to go out there and be able to concentrate on
throwing strikes and getting guys out instead of worrying about
what's going on in your lower half and thinking that the very next
pitch might tear it completely apart, and then it's going to cost
me months."
Rookie Randy Choate allowed an eighth-inning run and Mariano
Rivera got the last four outs for his 18th save. The Devil Rays
finished with four hits.
Justice, obtained Thursday from the Cleveland Indians for Ricky
Ledee and two players to be named, got his first hit as Yankee -- a
single that gave New York a 1-0 lead in the second. He grounded out
in the third, driving in another run to make it 3-0.
The victory was the second straight for the Yankees, who are 2-0
in July after going 10-15 in June for their losing month since
August 1996.
Saturday's victory was marred by a fight between catcher Jorge
Posada and Tampa Bay's Bobby Smith, however there was no carryover
Sunday.
Smith had an RBI single off Clemens in the sixth. The Devil Rays
also scored in the eighth when Bubba Trammell tripled and scored on
Choate's error on Fred McGriff's grounder.
Clemens had not pitched since being removed after one inning of
an outing against the Boston Red Sox on June 13. The Yankees also
welcomed back Hernandez (sprained right elbow) to the rotation
Saturday and return home from a season-long, 13-game road trip with
three victories in their last four games.
"We've been looking to put something together. Hopefully, this
will start us into a good streak," Torre said.
Bernie Williams, who was 3-for-4, hit safely and scored at least
one run in every game on the trip.
Brosius ended Trachsel's streak of 39 innings without allowing a
homer, and Clemens recorded his 3,400th career strikeout when he
fanned Steve Cox with runners at second and third with two outs in
the third inning.
Trachsel, who before Sunday had allowed just one run in 22
innings against the Yankees, Blue Jays and Red Sox, yielded nine
hits, walked three and struck out two in five innings. Since
winning consecutive 1-0 decisions over Pedro Martinez at Fenway
Park and Hernandez at Yankee Stadium, the right-hander is 3-6 in 10
starts.
Game notes
Torre hopes Posada doesn't draw a suspension for his
involvement in Saturday's fight. "I have a great deal of respect
for (baseball disciplinarian) Frank Robinson, but I certainly would
like to have him remember how many fights he was in and not be
suspended." Devil Rays manager Larry Rothschild said he didn't
feel either player should be suspended ... Yankees 2B Chuck
Knoblauch missed his second straight game because of a left ear
infection. He was replaced by Jose Vizcaino, who went 0-for-4 after
going 2-for-3 with a double and triple and two runs scored
Saturday.
| |
ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
NY Yankees Clubhouse
Tampa Bay Clubhouse
RECAPS
Cleveland 7
Minnesota 1
NY Yankees 5
Tampa Bay 2
Baltimore 3
Toronto 2
Chi. White Sox 8
Boston 2
Detroit 2
Kansas City 0
Oakland 10
Anaheim 3
Seattle 11
Texas 4
Atlanta 10
NY Mets 2
Florida 2
Montreal 1
Philadelphia 9
Pittsburgh 1
Milwaukee 4
Chicago Cubs 2
Houston 6
St. Louis 3
Cincinnati 14
Arizona 2
Colorado 3
San Diego 2
San Francisco 6
Los Angeles 5
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Joe Torre says Roger Clemens was focused.
wav: 117 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Roger Clemens enjoys pitching without pain.
wav: 127 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Scott Brosius says it's easy to play when a pitcher throws strikes.
wav: 95 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
|
