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Jeter records four hits as Yankees top Royals

Jul 25, 2007 - 5:56 AM KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Ticker) -- The New York Yankees continue to be a scoring machine.

The Yankees, who have scored 63 runs in their five-game winning streak, jumped on the Kansas City Royals for seven runs in the first two innings and breezed to a 9-4 victory on Tuesday night.

Derek Jeter had four hits, including a first-inning double, while Bobby Abreu and Jorge Posada each drove in a pair of runs. Johnny Damon had two hits, a walk, scored two runs and drove in another.

"We want to get the most out of this stretch," Yankees manager Joe Torre said of the offensive splurge. "We're having good at-bats. We kept scoring tonight, which is important. I'm glad we had a little bit of a cushion. We saw more than 220 pitches (224) tonight. We made them work. That is what we do. We make the pitcher work."

Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang (11-5) labored through six innings to pick up the victory, allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out three. Wang improved to 4-1 in five July starts.

"Wang is used to pitching with little run support," Torre said. "I'm not sure he was comfortable. His mechanics seemed a little off. The long innings probably had more to do with it than anything."

Wang acknowledged he did not throw good, but said his changeup was pretty good.

"He will, however, take the huge run support. "It's a lot of fun," Wang said watching the New York offense.

"It certainly is no fun pitching against it," as the Royals will attest.

The Yankees batted around in the first two innings off Royals starter Scott Elarton (2-4), who was making his first start since coming off the disabled list for the second time. Elarton was roughed up in his final four rehab starts for Class AAA Omaha; a 9.58 ERA while allowing 22 earned runs and 29 hits, including 10 home runs, in 20 2/3 innings.

Elarton lasted just 1 2/3 innings, permitting seven runs on six hits, two walks and a hit batter, retiring only five of the 14 batters he faced. Elarton's ERA in nine starts this season climbed to 10.46.

"The velocity is better than it was when I went on the DL and the ball is coming out of my hand well," Elarton said. "Obviously the results are not there. I'm definitely fully recovered, but as far as being back to where I want to or need to be, I'm not there yet. I'm not making excuses because I just didn't get the job done. This is like a couple of other times when I've been on the DL. I've come back and worked my butt off in rehab, but the results just weren't there for a while."

Elarton is penciled in to start again on Sunday, but that is subject to change.

"I don't know where I stand with him right now," Royals manager Buddy Bell said. "He gave up seven runs in less than two innings. I am concerned about the rotation. It's not just tonight or last night, but it's been an issue for a while. We had an opportunity offensively to do something but, come on, when you get down seven runs early to these guys it's going to be difficult.

"It seems like with Scottie's stuff, he's either out of the strike zone or right down the middle. It's a bad combination. I think he's throwing a little bit harder and it has a little bit of carry, but his command just wasn't there."

Lefthander John Bale relieved Elarton in the second and walked six of the 11 batters he faced, including Robinson Cano with the bases loaded in the second. The Yankees drew nine walks, including Cano's first career three-walk game.

"I'm being patient, that way I can become a better hitter," Cano said.

Damon continues to jump start the New York offense.

"I feel I can do something every time I step up to the plate," Damon said. "I have so many good players around me. I've been blessed to play with future Hall of Famers. If I can get on, it makes those other guys better."

Ross Gload had three hits and drove in a run with a fifth-inning single for Kansas City. Mark Grudzielanek drove in the other run in the fifth.

Gload doubled in the two-run second and scored on rookie Alex Gordon's double. Reggie Sanders, who walked, stopped at third on Gordon's double and scored on John Buck's groundout. Gordon finished with three hits.

The Yankees' four-run first included a RBI-double by Cano, a sacrifice fly by Abreu and run-producing singles by Matsui and Posada. Matsui has 10 RBI in the five-game winning streak and had 10 hits in his past 22 at-bats.

New York is 11-3 in its current stretch of 28 games against opponents with a losing record.

"Just because we're playing sub-.500 teams doesn't mean they can't beat you," Torre said. "You've got to keep grinding it out. We're seven games over (.500), heading in the right direction. We've got to keep on keeping on."