Jeter leads hit parade as Yanks pound Tribe

Ron Antonelli/News

Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter collects two hits as part of the Bombers' 18-hit attack against the Indians at the Stadium Sunday afternoon.

As Freddy Garcia walked off the mound in the seventh inning Sunday, a loud ovation thrummed from the stands. He raised a hand to acknowledge the crowd and disappeared into a dugout full of grinning teammates slapping him on the back.

This was not just some mid-season game for Garcia, considering how awful he was in his start against the Red Sox last week. And this game was rife with meaning for the Yankees, who are still piecing together fractured psyches after the beating Boston gave them in a three-game sweep.

So on a day the Yankees lost Bartolo Colon, their real No. 2 starter - face it, folks, Colon is better than A.J. Burnett - Garcia provided the perfect pick-me-up in a 9-1 victory over the overmatched Indians in front of 46,791 at the Stadium.

BOX SCORE: YANKEES 9, INDIANS 1

Garcia (5-5) allowed seven hits and one run in 6.2 innings and held the Indians hitless with runners on base (0-for-11) and with runners in scoring position (0-for-10). He struck out six, walked two and improved to 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA in daytime starts.

"It's tough to lose a guy who's pitching really well for us," Jorge Posada said of Colon. "We really need him. Freddy gave us a chance to win and that's what he's been doing and that's what we need from him."

The Yankee offense did its part, too, and in a fashion that would please even the homer police: The Yanks had 18 hits - 13 singles, four doubles and a Brett Gardner triple - their most hits since May 31, 2010, also against the Indians. It's the most runs they've scored in a game without a homer this season.

Seven players had at least two hits, including Curtis Granderson (4-for-4), Alex Rodriguez (3-for-5), Gardner (3-for-4, triple, two doubles) and Derek Jeter, who was 2-for-5 to move seven hits shy of 3,000 for his career.

"That's how you draw it up every day if you could," Joe Girardi said. "Everywhere, we got contributions?We just kept putting up good at-bat after good at-bat."

(Photo by Corey Sipkin/News)

Garcia was knocked out in the second inning against Boston last week and may have been too easy on himself when he said of that start Sunday, "I was terrible." But he was terrific when the Yanks needed him against Cleveland, even though he did not have any clean innings.

He stranded at least one runner in each inning he pitched and had to walk past an Indian on first base - Asdrubal Cabrera - while listening to fans cheer as he exited. But, somehow, Garcia thrives when runners are on. Overall this season, opponents are batting .198 (21-for-106) against him with runners on and .134 (9-for-67) with runners in scoring position.

Asked why Garcia is so good under such strain, Girardi said, "It's probably experience, the experience he's had and pitched in big situations where he's able to just relax and make his pitch."

"Character," added Russell Martin. "He bears down when he has guys in scoring position. He uses that to his advantage, gets more aggressive."

Said Garcia: "You have to be able to make a good pitch and I've been able to do that. Hopefully, I can continue to do that."

Garcia said his fastball was better Sunday than it had been when the Red Sox pounded him and that helped his splitter. "When I have a better fastball, my other pitches get better," said Garcia, who clearly has a future as a pitching sloganeer.

He seemed to soak in the ovation at the end of his afternoon. He knows the other end, too.

"I've been watching for a long time in New York," Garcia said. "They always do that. You don't pitch good, they boo you, when you do, they cheer, that's the way it is.

"You have to feel good about it."

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nydnrss/home/~3/FEMIyPkXrxA/2011-06-12_derek_jeter_moves_closer_to_3000_with_two_hits_freddy_garcia_rebounds_as_yankees.html

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