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Rodriguez homers again to help Igawa notch first win

Apr 19, 2007 - 2:08 AM BRONX, New York (Ticker) -- Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees are doing everything possible to make life easy for their rookie lefthanded pitchers.

Rodriguez hit his ninth home run of the young season and Japanese lefthander Kei Igawa pitched six steady innings for his first major league win as the Yankees beat up on the Cleveland Indians, 9-2, for the second night in a row.

One night after pounding out 10 hits in a 10-3 victory over the Indians to give Chase Wright a win in his major league debut, the Yankees continued to assault Cleveland's pitching staff.

New York roughed up Indians lefthander Jeremy Sowers (0-1), knocking him out of the game with a five-run third inning for a 6-2 lead.

Igawa (1-0), who was signed to five-year, $20 million dollar contract in December, made it stand up through his six innings, permitting two runs - both earned - and five hits while striking out five and walking one. It was his longest outing in his third start.

The Yankees continued to pour it on after Igawa's night was done, as Rodriguez continued his red-shot start by golfing a two-run blast to left and Jason Giambi followed with a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth for a 9-2 cushion.

Rodriguez now has hit in all 13 games and 18 dating to the 2006 regular season. The third baseman has driven in 23 runs to go along with his nine homers - both tops in the majors.

Derek Jeter went 3-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to nine games and every starter had at least one hit as the Yankees collected 14 to take the first two games of the series.

Three relievers finished up with a scoreless inning apiece for New York.

In the decisive third, the Yankees sent 10 men to the plate and collected five runs and seven hits off Sowers, who had yet to register a decision but posted a 2.08 ERA in his first two starts.

Bobby Abreu, Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano and Johnny Damon had RBI singles and Giambi a run-scoring double in the inning.

Sowers gave up six runs and nine hits in 2 2/3 innings, striking out one and walking one.