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Giambi, Yankees slam Rangers, avoid sweep

Jul 3, 2008 - 5:08 AM By Larry Fleisher PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BRONX, New York (Ticker) -- Suddenly silent over the last four days, the New York Yankees' lineup had a big awakening on Wednesday night.

Jason Giambi hit a grand slam and drove in a season-high six runs as the Yankees scored nine runs in the seventh inning to post an 18-7 triumph over the Texas Rangers.

Alex Rodriguez hit a three-run home run and moved into sole possession of 14th place on the all-time list for New York, which won for just the fifth time in its last 13 games and scored more than 10 runs for the sixth time this season.

The Yankees scored a season-high 18 runs runs, had 16 hits and were 11-for-20 with runners in scoring position.

New York also had its most productive inning of the season, when it rallied from a 7-6 deficit and won for just the fourth time in 38 games when trailing after six, doing so after scoring four runs in their previous three games against Oliver Perez, Scott Feldman and Kevin Millwood.

"It's tough," Yankees leadoff hitter Johnny Damon said of any possible carryover effect. "Baseball is the only sport that you can't really predict because every one wearing a major league uniform deserves to be here. Anyone who's here, they can get you out or they can get base hits off your pitchers. So baseball's a real tough (sport) to predict."

"It's nice," New York manager Joe Girardi said. "It feels good because I have a lot of belief in those guys. I know they're frustrated by it."

Rodriguez capped the decisive inning with an opposite-field shot into the right-field seats. It was his 535th career home run, moving him past Jimmie Foxx and placing him one shy of Yankees icon Mickey Mantle for 13th place.

Rodriguez was the 11th batter of the inning that saw the Yankees score six runs off Warner Madrigal, whose major league debut came after Joaquin Benoit worked around three walks in 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

It took just four pitches for the Yankees to start their comeback as Bobby Abreu led off with a ground-rule double to left field that eluded a sliding Brandon Boggs. Rodriguez followed with a walk, and Giambi put the Yankees ahead for good by lining a 3-2 pitch to left-center field for a two-run double.

"That Texas team, offensively, is as good as anybody in the league," Giambi said. "They can put some runs on the board as quickly as we can. I had a chance to put the ball in play hard, get us back the lead, and it kind of took off from there."

New York continued to add on as Jorge Posada doubled in Giambi, took third on Robinson Cano's base hit before scoring on Wilson Betemit's groundout. A wild pitch by Madrigal moved Cano to second and rookie Brett Gardner collected his first career hit and RBI when he lined a single to left field.

"Obviously, you want it to carry over to tomorrow because we need to run some games together, put a streak together," Girardi said. "Everyone contributed, everyone had a hand, everyone did their job offensively."

That ended Madrigal's outing, but he still was responsible for Gardner, who stole second off Jamey Wright before scoring on Damon's base hit to left field. Following Derek Jeter's groundout and a walk to Abreu, Rodriguez lined a 3-1 offering for his 17th home run of the season.

"If you have a lefty to equalize all those good lefthanded bats they got, it might make a difference," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "But they just came out swinging right there in the seventh and eighth. We just didn't have anything to slow them down right there. Jason had six RBI, and I've seen him do it before."

The Yankees scored their most runs since a 21-4 win here over Tampa Bay on July 22 and produced their biggest inning since a 10-run frame in Baltimore on September 29. They added three in the eighth off Wright as Damon had an RBI single and scored on Abreu's two-run base hit.

Edwar Ramirez benefited from the big inning and earned the win after striking out three over two scoreless innings.

Ramirez came on after Sidney Ponson's second start with the Yankees saw him cough up a 5-3 lead by allowing two-run home runs to Milton Bradley and rookie Chris Davis in the sixth. Ramirez prevented any further damage in the sixth by fanning rookies Max Ramirez and German Duran.

"Sometimes it happens," Ponson said. "I left it right down the middle (of the plate) and he did what he's supposed to do."

Ponson lasted five-plus innings and allowed seven runs and nine hits to the team that cut him for insubordination directed at his teammates and general manager Jon Daniels.

Texas starter Luis Mendoza lasted 4 2/3 innings and allowed six runs - one earned - and four hits while walking two without a strikeout.

One of those hits was Giambi's 13th career grand slam in the third, which came after second baseman Ian Kinsler misplayed Jeter's potential double-play grounder for an error.

Texas also was three innings away from its second sweep at Yankee Stadium, but the Rangers allowed 18 runs for the second time and fell to 5-19 in their last 24 games here.