Jeter powers Yanks past Baltimore

Sep 10, 2006, 20:55 GMT

Baltimore, MD - Derek Jeter homered and drove in four runs, leading the New York Yankees to a 9-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.

Sal Fasano belted a three-run homer and Nick Green added a solo shot for the Yankees, who have won two straight after dropping the opener of this four-game set that will conclude on Monday. New York also moved ahead of Detroit for the best record in the American League.

Jeter extended his hitting streak to 20 games with a double in the first inning. He drilled a two-run homer in the third, knocked in a run with a grounder in the fourth and added a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Jaret Wright (10-7) went the first 6 1/3 innings to earn the win. He allowed three runs on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

'I just tried to stay on the attack,' said Wright, who threw 19 of 24 first- pitch strikes. 'I tried to get ahead. I think, before that, I was getting in trouble with being behind.'

Hayden Penn (0-2) was rocked for seven runs on nine hits in three-plus innings to take the loss. He walked two and surrendered all three Yankee home runs.

'He had trouble commanding his fastball,' Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo said about Penn. 'He was up in the zone with it and he still hasn't been able to get his breaking ball working. I just think he needs to get a couple of good innings underneath his belt to relax a little bit.'

Ramon Hernandez homered twice and drove in all four runs for the Orioles.

New York grabbed a 3-0 lead in the second inning. Robinson Cano led off with a double and Aaron Guiel walked with one out before Fasano connected for his first homer as a Yankee.

Jeter followed a Melky Cabrera double in the third with his 13th homer of the year to extend the lead to 5-0 and Green led off the fourth with his second home run of the season for a six-run cushion.

Johnny Damon followed Green's blast with an infield single and Cabrera drew a walk, ending the afternoon for Penn. The runners moved up a base on a wild pitch by Russ Ortiz and Jeter chased home Damon with a grounder to make it 7-0.

'I like when he's hitting in key situations,' Yankees manager Joe Torre said about Jeter. 'He seems to know what to do. Even something as simple as a ground ball with second and third with nobody out to get the runner in and a runner over. He knows how to play the game.'

Hernandez put the Orioles on the board in the fifth with a two-out, solo homer.

The Yankees then tacked on two more in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Jeter and a run-scoring single by Bobby Abreu.

A three-run homer by Hernandez in the seventh accounted for the final margin.

Game Notes

Hernandez, who was 3-for-4, recorded his third multi-homer game of the year and the sixth of his career.

Jeter's 20-game hitting streak is the longest for a Yankee since Bernie Williams hit in 21 straight in 1993.

Baltimore's Jay Gibbons was scratched from the starting lineup because of a knee injury.

© 2006 The Sports Network