• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Rodriguez helps Yankees extend winning streak

Jun 19, 2008 - 5:13 AM By Larry Fleisher PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BRONX, New York (Ticker) -- It was not necessarily the best of nights on the mound for the New York Yankees. Fortunately for them, they had just enough offense.

Alex Rodriguez went 3-for-4 and extended his home run streak to four games as the New York Yankees posted their season-high sixth consecutive victory, an 8-5 interleague triumph over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.

Johnny Damon - who drove in two runs - and Wilson Betemit added three hits apiece for New York, which has won 11 of its last 14 games.

The Yankees have scored 43 runs during their current winning stretch, and they needed almost of all of their eight in this one.

The runs were necessary because Darrell Rasner (4-4) labored through five innings, forcing manager Joe Girardi to use his bullpen earlier than he would have liked. Rasner allowed two runs and three hits but also issued a career-high five walks and needed 96 pitches to get the game to the sixth.

"It was a tough one," Rasner said. "I was struggling a bit with my command tonight. The hitters, they bailed me out."

While Rasner was critical of himself, Girardi was satisfied with the performance, telling him so in the dugout.

"He gave us a shot to win," Girardi said. "He was like, 'I'm sorry I didn't give you more. I was like, 'You did your job, you battled.' Maybe (with) the extra days off, he wasn't as sharp. He did his job and he'll be back out there before you know it."

The Yankees had a 5-2 lead when Rasner exited, and that seemed to be safe as Edwar Ramirez struck out three of the first five hitters he faced. He struggled thereafter, however, as Brian Giles lined a 3-2 pitch into the right field seats in the seventh and Adrian Gonzalez followed by depositing a 2-0 offering over the center field wall.

New York added two runs in the bottom of the frame. Derek Jeter doubled and scored on Bobby Abreu's single and, after Abreu stole second, Rodriguez chopped a 2-1 pitch up the middle for a run-scoring base hit and a 7-4 advantage.

"I feel good, but the whole team is swinging the bat with a lot of confidence," said Rodriguez, who is batting .443 (31-for-70) in his last 19 games. "That's very contagious."

Kyle Farnsworth started the eighth and immediately gave up Chase Headley's first career home run. Khalil Greene hit a one-out double but was stranded when Farnsworth struck out pinch hitter Scott Hairston and retired Jody Gerut on a flyout to left.

"It's bittersweet," Headley said of his homer. "To get your first home run and get it at Yankee Stadium is something really special. I think 20 years down the road, I think it's something I can look back on and really enjoy. Obviously, right now I'm disappointed we lost the game."

The Yankees took their third three-run lead of the night in the eighth, when Betemit doubled and scored on Damon's base hit.

"You need to keep tacking on because you can't expect people to be perfect every night they go out there," Girardi said. "To me, that was a great sign. They get two, we get two. They get one, we get one. To me, that's the offense keeping their guard up and never letting it down."

Mariano Rivera turned in the best outing of any pitcher for the Yankees, working around a leadoff double in the ninth for his 19th save in as many opportunities.

Rasner, who ended his personal four-game slide with his first win since May 21, was staked to a 3-0 lead but nearly gave it back in the second. He allowed a two-run double by Edgar Gonzalez and loaded the bases on consecutive walks to Adrian Gonzalez and former Yankee Tony Clark before retiring Headley on a flyout to avoid further damage.

Rodriguez gave New York a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the inning, belting a solo shot to left field. It was the 14th homer of the season and 532nd career for the 2007 American League MVP, who is two behind Jimmie Foxx for 14th place on the all-time list.

Ace Jake Peavy (5-4) lost for the third time in four outings, yielding four runs - three earned - and six hits in just four frames. The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner walked two and struck out four for San Diego, which has lost four of its last five.

"The Yankees' lineup, definitely they're going to work the count," Peavy said. "When you don't make pitches, they're going to find holes. Obviously, right now I'm disappointed. I struggled because of the unfamiliarity with those guys. It's just one of those tough nights."

New York made Peavy throw 54 pitches through the first two frames and got on the board in the first, when Damon scored an unearned run on an error by shortstop Greene. The Yankees added two more an inning later as Betemit lined an RBI ground-rule double to left and scored on Damon's base hit up the middle.

"Although we didn't get a lot of runs early, we were able to get him out of there," Rodriguez said of Peavy. "We knew he was on a pitch count."