• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Jeter, Yankees aim for four-game sweep of struggling Tribe

Jun 13, 2011 - 2:36 PM (Sports Network) - The Derek Jeter watch is officially on. Tonight, the shortstop tries to draw closer to his 3,000th hit when the New York Yankees go for a sweep in the finale of their four-game series with the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium.

Jeter had two of the Yankees' 18 hits on Sunday in a 9-1 win. Curtis Granderson added four hits, Brett Gardner had three and Alex Rodriguez finished 3-for-5 with three RBI for the Yankees, who have won the first three games of this series by a combined score of 24-8.

The outburst was more than enough for Freddy Garcia (5-5), who gave up one run on seven hits and two walks, striking out six batters for his third win in four starts.

"He got out of some situations where they had runners in scoring position," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. "I thought that was important. It allowed us to build our lead."

Jeter, though, moved within seven hits of becoming the first Yankee to reach 3,000 hits. After tonight's game, the Yankees play three more home games with the Texas Rangers before hitting the road for six interleague games in Chicago and Cincinnati.

"It's impossible for it not to be in your head, because I'm asked that question all the time," Jeter said of the attention on the milestone. "All I can control is having good at-bats and trying to hit the ball hard and hopefully find some holes."

Josh Tomlin (7-4) was knocked around for six runs on 12 hits in five innings to absorb the loss as the Indians fell to 1-9 in their last 10 games. The Indians remain tied atop the American League Central standings with the Detroit Tigers.

"That's why you play the game. You play to play against guys like [the Yankees] to test your stuff," remarked Tomlin. "I didn't change my approach at all. I still tried to go after them."

The Indians offensive struggles continued on Sunday, as they failed to score more than two runs for the 12th time in their last 18 games. They are also a miserable 6-for-68 with runners in scoring position in their last 10.

"We're going to have to just continue to go out there and fight, and maybe tinker a little bit more with that lineup," said Cleveland manager Manny Acta. "We'll do whatever we can to try to see if we can come up with something different."

Getting the call for the Yankees tonight will be right-hander A.J. Burnett, who is 6-4 with a 4.37 ERA. Burnett was pounded by the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday for eight runs (seven earned) and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Burnett is 3-4 lifetime against the Indians with a 4.97 ERA in eight games.

Cleveland, meanwhile, will counter with righty Carlos Carrasco, who is 5-3 with a 4.52 ERA. Carrasco won for the fourth time in his last five starts with a brilliant effort on Tuesday against Minnesota, as he scattered three hits over 8 1/3 scoreless innings.

"The key is I need to be focused," Carrasco said afterward. "Sometimes I try to be too perfect. Sometimes I just want to just strikeout somebody and I throw too many pitches. [Tuesday] was good."

Carrasco has never faced the Yankees. who have won eight of the last nine meetings with the Indians.