Tex, Jeter HRS lift CC to 4-0
KANSAS CITY — The Yankees official-ly began life without Mariano Rivera on Friday night, but their hitters did enough against the Royals to take the pressure off the Bombers’ bullpen.
Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter each hit two-run home runs against Bruce Chen, pacing the Yankees to a 6-2 win over the Royals that snapped a three-game losing streak.
CC Sabathia improved to 4-0 with eight innings of two-run ball, allowing both runs in the first before shutting Kansas City down over the next seven frames. Sabathia gave up seven hits and no walks, striking out five in the win.
“It always feels good to win a game, especially all the stuff we’ve been through the past day,” Sabathia said.
Tei xeira continued to punish Chen with a t worun homer to left in the first. Teixeira is now .500 (11-for22) with seven home runs against the lefthander in his career.
Sabathia allowed two runs on three hits in the first, but the big lefty retired 14 of 15 batters over the next five innings, giving the Yankees’ lineup time to break out.
That finally happened with two out in the seventh, as Eduardo Nunez snapped the tie with an RBI triple to right. Chris Stewart pushed the lead to two runs with a single to left center, then Jeter took Chen deep to center for his fifth homer of the year, capping the f our-run i nning.
STAGE ADVICE
Jeter knows the jitters Eli Manning will be feeling all day Saturday as he prepares to host “Saturday Night Live,” and according to the Captain, they’re unlike any pregame preparation he’s ever been through.
“I was scared to death,” Jeter said of his turn as guest host back i n December of 2001.
“You have to have fun with it,” Jeter said. “When I did it. I thought you just showed up on Thursday, did a couple things and then did a show on Saturday, but it’s a full week and a lot of work. You have a lot of respect for those actors and actresses. They gave me a little say in what I had to do. It was fun. You have to let your guard down, enjoy it and have a good time.”
NO ‘E’ FOR NUNEY
Joe Torre, MLB’S executive VP of baseball operations, overturned the error originally given to Nunez in left field Tuesday night. Nick Johnson was given a double on the play, turning the two runs that scored into earned runs against Boone Logan. . . . The Yankees made several roster moves before Friday’s game, placing Mariano Rivera on the 15-day DL, transferring RHP Michael Pineda to the 60-day DL, recalling RHP Cody Eppley and OF Dewayne Wise from Triple-a and optioning RHP D.J. Mitchell to TripleA. Wise doubled to left pinchhitting for left fielder Jayson Nix in the eighth.