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Matsui's blast guides Yankees past Twins

Jul 5, 2007 - 11:00 PM BRONX, New York (Ticker) -- Their leading run producer was getting his hamstring examined but the New York Yankees still had plenty of offense.

Hideki Matsui hit a go-ahead two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Yankees overcame another shaky start by Kei Igawa and recorded a 7-6 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday afternoon.

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez missed his first game of the season with a strained left hamstring. He tried to play through the injury in the previous two games but went hitless, extending his slump to a season-worst 0-for-19.

After not being in manager Joe Torre's lineup, Rodriguez underwent an MRI exam Thursday. Results of the MRI were not available at the end of the game and Matsui replaced Rodriguez as the cleanup hitter.

"His presence is very important in the lineup and not having him being there, it was great that everybody else contributed to help the team win," Matsui said through an interpreter.

"The most important thing is to see how comfortable he is," Torre said. "He may know something by tomorrow. I think not playing today, he basically had almost 48 hours off. I was concerned when I heard he was going for an MRI. It's something that our medical staff wanted to do to make sure there was nothing going on."

With Rodriguez away from Yankee Stadium, the Yankees recorded 13 hits - eight more than in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to Johan Santana. They also got solid showings from Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera, who were a combined 5-for-9 and each homered in New York's five-run second inning, which turned a 2-0 deficit into a 5-2 lead.

The Yankees were unable to hold the lead and the game stayed tied until two outs in the eighth against Pat Neshek, who struck out Johnny Damon and Cabrera. But Neshek walked Derek Jeter and fell behind Matsui, who crushed a 3-1 pitch into the right-center field bleachers.

"I got a go sign at 3-0 but when I swung at the pitch, I kind of felt like I was forcing it, trying to put the ball (in play)," Matsui said. "So after 3-1, I was focusing more on center field and I was able to put a really good swing on it."

Matsui became the second Yankee to reach 10 home runs. Rodriguez, who leads the team and the majors with 28 home runs, hit his 10th home run in April.

"He was swinging at a 3-0 pitch, it just went foul," said Neshek, who allowed a run for just the fourth time in his last 33 appearances. "He got a fastball at 3-1 and he just crushed it. That's what good hitters do when you miss your spot."

Matsui batted fourth for the first time since June 12, 2005, at St. Louis and went 5-for-12 in the final three games following a 1-for-15 slump.

"He's streaky at times. When he's hot it seems like you don't get him out for two or three weeks and then he scuffles a little bit," Jeter said. "But for the most part, he's always going to give you quality at-bats even when he's not swinging the bat too well. But anytime (he's going good), he hits righties, he hits lefties. He hit a home run today but he hits the ball the other way. He can do a lot of things."

The blast made a winner out of Kyle Farnsworth (1-1), who pitched a rare perfect inning.

The Twins scraped for a run in the ninth off Mariano Rivera, but the Yankee closer managed a pair of strikeouts to secure his 11th save. The Twins had a runner at second after Joe Mauer's RBI groundout but Rivera struck out Michael Cuddyer with Justin Morneau looming on deck.

"We battled," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We gave ourselves a good chance there in the ninth and against one of the better relievers in the game."

It was Rivera's 424th career save, which tied him with former New York Mets closer John Franco for third place on the all-time list.

"The most important thing is that we won the game today," Rivera said. "It's not about myself, it's about the team and without my teammates I can't accomplish anything."

Before the dramatic eighth, the Yankees had their second five-run inning of the series.

With two outs in the second, Cano sent an 0-1 pitch from Minnesota rookie starter Kevin Slowey into the right field seats. That made it a one-run game and the Yankees kept it going as Andy Phillips doubled and scored on Miguel Cairo's double to left field.

After Damon walked, Cabrera ripped an 0-2 pitch into the right-center field bleachers. It was the fourth home run of the season for Cabrera and was his first in 108 at-bats dating to June 2 at Boston.

In his third start since returning from the minors to work on his mechanics, Igawa allowed five runs and seven hits in five innings. He failed to preserve the 5-2 lead when he allowed a two-out, two-run double to Jason Bartlett in the fourth on an 0-2 pitch.

Bartlett scored the tying run on Mauer's base hit up the middle but the Twins managed just one hit the rest of the way against Luis Vizcaino, Scott Proctor and Farnsworth.

Slowey lasted 3 2/3 innings and was tagged for five runs and eight hits after being unable to hold a 2-0 lead. The Twins are playing a day-night doubleheader in Chicago on Friday and optioned Slowey to the minors to make room for another pitcher.

The first four Twins reached base as Cuddyer and Morneau produced consecutive RBI singles. Minnesota had an opportunity for more but Torii Hunter struck out and with the bases loaded, Igawa retired Lew Ford and Luis Rodriguez.

In his third start since spending seven weeks in the minors to work on his mechanics, Igawa allowed five runs and seven hits in five innings.

"Today was a question mark," Torre said. "It was based on the fact that he couldn't command the fastball."