Bobby Bombs Two Home Runs as Yanks Rout Orioles

NEW YORK - Bobby Abreu said he doesn't like to DH, but it sure didn't hurt his swing on Wednesday afternoon.  He crushed his 12th and 13th home runs into deep right and also added a double. 

 “I don’t really like too much the DH. It’s one of the ways to get a day off,” Abreu said, smiling. “I had a good day, but I don’t like the DH.”

Alex Rodriguez followed Abreu's solo shot in the seventh with a deep solo shot to center for his 23rd home run of the year and second in two games.

The Yankees won 13-3 to end their three game skid and prevent a sweep from the Baltimore Orioles.

Joba Chamberlain got the start for the Yankees and got the win, the first time in his career he has got back-to-back victories.  He went six strong, giving up one run on five hits and striking out six.

It was another great day for Joba as he continues to show he is a top pitcher in the American League.  The more games he wins, the smarter the Yankees look for turning him into a starter.

New York native Dennis Sarfate suffered the loss for the Orioles, managing to only go 4 innings, giving up a two-run shot to Bobby Abreu in the third that put the Orioles away for good. 

Sarfate lost the strike zone for most of the day, walking three batters.  The Yankees made him pay in a hurry.

The Orioles bullpen imploded, giving up seven runs in four innings.  Brian Burres pitched 1.1 innings and gave up four runs on four hits.

Fernando Cabrera went just two-thirds of an inning, giving up three earned runs.  Two of those runs were the back-to-back home runs in the seventh off of the bats of Abreu and A-Rod.

Edwar Ramirez came in relief for Joba in the seventh and was thrown out of the game after just throwing one pitch.  He threw a ball behind Kevin Millar and home plate umpire Mark Wegner tossed Edwar instantly.  The pitch was clear retaliation for the beaning of Alex Rodriguez on Tuesday night.

In other Yankees news, reliever Kyle Farnsworth was traded to the Detroit Tigers for veteran catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez.  The move was in response to Jorge Posada having to shut it down the rest of the year and have season ending shoulder surgery.

The Yankees were able to part with Farnsworth (1-2, 3.65) after they added reliever Damaso Marte from the Pirates during the Xavier Nady deal last week.

“Guys like Pudge don’t come around every day,” Girardi said. “He’s the complete player.”

Ivan Rodriguez was really excited about joining the Yankees squad while on the Yankees side, both Joe Girardiand Kyle Farnsworth were emotional about the deal because they have a good friendship and working relationship together.

The Yankees hold two really good defensive catchers in Ivan Rodriguez and Jose Molina.  It should be interesting to see how they use both of them.  Pudge made his way to New York on Wednesday and could start Thursday or Friday against the Angels.

Pudgecould also see time at DH as they Yankees have a lot of options with their new lineup that has developed over the last few weeks.

The team with the best record in baseball has landed in New York for a four-game series starting Thursday night.

The Los Angeles Angels (67-40) are coming off of a red-hot series in where they swept the Yankees rival Red Sox in Fenway.  While the Yankees appreciate it, they don't want the same happening to them.

The Angels will send out right-hander Jon Garland (9-6, 4.90) who has yet to face the Yankees this season.  He has been solid, yet inconsistent for the Angels this season, failing to win back to back starts since April 17 and 23. 

Garland won his last outing against the Orioles thanks to some run support in a game that he gave up five runs in.

The New York Yankees (59-48) will counter with one of their best, left-hander Andy Pettitte (12-7, 3.76).  He is 3-2 in five starts in July as he makes his sixthstart this month.  He won against the Red Sox in Fenway on Saturday on three runs, only one earned.

The Angels will be sporting their new first basemen Mark Teixeira who came over from the Atlanta Braves for Casey Kotchman.  He should feel comfortable at Yankee Stadium, he grew up idolizing Yankees great Don Mattingly.

Keeping up with things in the AL East, Tampa Bay took two out of three from Toronto to move four games ahead of the Yankees and three ahead of the Red Sox.

The Yankees are now just one game behind their rival Red Sox and the AL Wild Card lead, and are tied with the Twins.