Wang and A-Rod help Yanks cruise past Mets

Jun 18, 2007, 3:25 GMT

Bronx, NY - Chien-Ming Wang hurled eight-plus brilliant innings, and Alex Rodriguez homered and drove in three runs as the New York Yankees disposed of the New York Mets, 8-2, in the final installment of this year's Subway Series at Yankee Stadium.

Wang (7-4) allowed just two runs on six hits in 8 2/3 innings for the red-hot Yankees, who won for the 11th time in 12 games. The Taiwanese star punched out a career-high 10 and walked just one and has now compiled a 6-1 record over his last seven starts.

'Anytime you face a good pitcher, it's tough on you,' Mets manager Willie Randolph said of Wang. 'He had good stuff tonight and it seems like when you are having a rough time, you face good pitchers. He had a great sinker and really kept the ball down.'

Rodriguez was 2-for-2 with a two-run homer, his major league leading 27th on the year. The star third baseman also has a big league best 73 runs batted in. Johnny Damon finished 2-for-5 with a solo homer and Jorge Posada chipped in with a two-run shot.

Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran each had an RBI for the struggling Mets, who lost for the 11th time in 13 tries and now lead the NL East by just 1 1/2 games. David Wright was 0-for-4 to halt a career-best 17-game hitting streak.

The Yankees saw a familiar face on the hill. Orlando Hernandez (3-3), who was a key member of the Yankee dynasty that captured three consecutive world championships between 1998-2000, started the game for the Mets. The Cuban defector wasn't treated kindly, however. Hernandez was touched for six runs on seven hits in just 4 2/3 innings en route to the loss.

'He made some bad pitches to really good hitters,' Randolph said of Hernandez. 'He got behind a lot tonight and getting ahead is a big key for him. It's no secret that control pitchers need to hit their spots and you can't make mistakes up in the zone.'

The Yankees took a quick 2-0 lead in the first. With a runner on and two down, Rodriguez turned on a 2-0 Hernandez offering and drilled a tape-measure shot over the bullpen in left-center.

The Yankees added two more runs in the second. Hideki Matsui led off the frame with a base hit but it looked like Hernandez would get out of trouble after getting Robinson Cano to ground out and fanning Melky Cabrera. Miguel Cairo had other ideas and laced an RBI double to left before Damon followed with a run-scoring single to make it a 4-0 game.

The Yankees kept pulling away in the third. Bobby Abreu sliced a triple to left that banged around the corner before Rodriguez ripped a sacrifice fly to deep center that made it 5-0.

The Bronx Bombers made it 6-0 in the fifth after Damon led off the inning by depositing his fourth homer of the year over the wall in right.

The Mets finally got on the scoreboard in the seventh. With two down, Wang actually fanned Wright with a nasty sinker but the ball got away from Posada and Wright reached base. Delgado followed by lacing a double to right and Abreu was slow getting to the ball, enabling Wright to score.

The Yankees added two insurance runs in the eighth off Aaron Heilman. Rodriguez started things by ripping a double and Posada followed with a two- run home run, the catcher's ninth of the season.

Beltran's RBI single in the ninth accounted for the final margin.

Game Notes

NY Mets catcher Paul LoDuca left the game in the bottom of the fourth inning with a contusion of his left triceps. The Mets catcher was hit by a Wang pitch in the first inning and stayed in the game. But, after grounding out in the fourth, Lo Duca was replaced behind the dish by Ramon Castro...The Yankees optioned pitcher Tyler Clippard to their Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wiles Barre before the game and recalled outfielder Kevin Thompson...The Yankees evened the season series with their Gotham rivals at three games apiece. The clubs also split six encounters during the 2005 and 2006 campaigns...Hernandez spent six seasons with the Yankees, compiling a 61-40 regular-season record during that span, before leaving for the Chicago White Sox as a free agent following the 2004 campaign. He has never beaten the Yankees in four career starts...Derek Jeter was 1-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to 12 games.

© 2007 The Sports Network

Game Notes

.