Yanks rout Rays to sweep doubleheader

Jul 21, 2007, 20:55 GMT

Bronx, NY - Alex Rodriguez belted his 33rd homer of the season, drove in four runs, and Johnny Damon had a four-RBI game as well to lead New York's 17-5 thrashing of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, completing a sweep of a day/night doubleheader for the Yankees in the middle two games of a four- game set.

Rodriguez's homer brought him to within three of career number 500, and his four RBI put him at 96 on the season. Damon also scored three times for the Yankees, who pounded out 20 hits to win their seventh in nine games. Bobby Abreu finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored for New York.

Yankees starter Matt DeSalvo was rocked for seven hits and four runs in 4 2/3 innings. Luis Vizcaino (8-2) tossed 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to pick up his second win of the day.

JP Howell (1-4) surrendered a career-high 10 hits and career-high seven runs in five innings for the Devil Rays, who had won three of four after Friday's 14-4 rout of the Yanks, but have now dropped three of four. Jonny Gomes went 3-for-4 with two runs scored for Tampa Bay.

The Yankees picked right up with three runs in the first, plating two on Abreu's double to left-center. Rodriguez followed with a double to right- center, scoring Abreu.

Josh Wilson's two-run single in the second brought the Rays to within a run, but Damon's run-scoring groundout in the bottom of the inning made it a 4-2 Yankees lead.

New York tacked on three more in the third, courtesy of Robinson Cano's RBI single and Wil Nieves' two-run double, taking a five-run edge.

BJ Upton's two-run single in the fifth and Wilson's sacrifice fly in the sixth again pulled Tampa Bay to within two runs, but Rodriguez came through in the bottom of the inning to end any hopes of a comeback win.

Damon got things started in the sixth with a two-run double, and Abreu laced a one-out single to right, scoring Damon. Rodriguez followed by blasting a two- run shot to left-center, giving the Yanks a 12-5 lead.

'It's disappointing. We definitely had a good shot in the first game, the second game it just got away fast,' said Devil Rays manager Joe Madden. 'We battled back to 7-5, then the floodgates just opened up after that. We've just got to forget about this and move on to tomorrow.'

New York locked up the laugher with five more runs in the seventh. Damon ripped a ground-rule double to left, scoring one run, and Rodriguez stepped to the plate later in the inning with the bases loaded and one out. D-Rays reliever Brian Stokes was able to hold Rodriguez to a sacrifice fly to deep center, but Hideki Matsui followed by blasting a three-run shot to right- center, and New York led by 12.

'I like the fact that we started that way and we kept going,' said Yankees manager Joe Torre. 'We didn't have many dry innings, to me that's probably the manager's best friend.'

Game Notes

During the game, the Yankees announced the acquisition of catcher Jose Molina from the Angels in exchange for right-handed pitcher minor-leaguer Jeff Kennard. DeSalvo is expected to head to the minors when Molina joins the team...Tampa Bay outfielder Carl Crawford left the first game of the doubleheader in the fifth inning with a sprained left ankle, and did not play in the second game...The Rays have never won a doubleheader. They have been swept six times and split six...The Yankees had eight doubles, two shy of the franchise record, set in 1988 and tied in 2003.

© 2007 The Sports Network

Game Notes

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