Yankees run away with victory in eighth

The Yankees (92-52) avoided being swept by the Orioles (58-84) at home in Sunday’s 13-3 win. The Yanks’ bats finally came alive in the eighth inning and rallied for eight runs. Perhaps a couple of ejections in the fifth inning sparked the offense.

Quick ‘Cap:
Hideki Matsui broke a tie game in the sixth with a two-run single to make it 5-3. He broke the game open in his next at bat with a three-run homer, and the Yankees scored five more times in the inning. Melky Cabrera and Mark Teixeira provided two-run doubles, and Brett Gardner added an RBI double.

CC Sabathia tossed seven innings and allowed three earned runs — good enough for his 17th win of the season. The Yankees all-time hit leader, Derek Jeter, tacked on three more hits to his record. Full box score here.

Thoughts:
It would have been a total embarrassment to be swept by the Orioles at home. It goes to show how important a good start can be.

Line of the Day:
Matsui: 3-for-5, HR, 5 RBI, R, BB. It was his first three-hit game since Aug. 13, and only his third of the season.

Up Next:
The Yanks have a makeup game to play on Monday against the LA Angels. I’ll have some pre-game notes posted, and I’ll have a full series preview for the short Toronto series.