Bronx, N.Y., August 11, 2011 – The Yanks outhit the visiting Angels in the rubber match of their three-gamer on a glorious Bronx afternoon Wednesday, 10-9, but it had very little to do with the outcome. Each team began their scoring with a two-run home run; each team concluded it with an additional multi-run drive. Five of the nine Angels who stroked hits scored, two more than was the case with the Yankees. Still, the Bombers’ offensive math prevailed in the 6-5 win.

Righty starters Tyler Chatwood and Bartolo Colon battled in a largely scoreless contest through six, but each surrendered a two-run jack, Colon to Alberto Callaspo in the fifth, and his Anaheim counterpart was reached for Curtis Granderson’s 32nd season tater one frame later. Early Yankee chances were twice blunted by double play balls, while Colon, although he struck out three Angels early, largely survived on the inside, coaxing seven pop-up outs in six frames on inside cutters.

For the second time this week, Yankee skipper Joe Girardi allowed his pitcher to warm on the mound before an inning, only to remove him before a pitch was thrown, which is how the pitching reins went from Colon to Rafael Soriano in the seventh. Although Joe’s new seventh-inning guy wasn’t as good as he had been the day before, allowing a one-out single, he was solid, and teamed with David Roberstson to get the Yanks to the ninth with a lead. One of the few shortcomings in the Yankee pitching staff is rounding into shape, but has the relief corps sprung a leak in another location?

The Anaheim pen, meanwhile, fashioned back-to-back strike outs to retire the Yanks in the sixth following Curtis’s bomb, and veteran southpaw Scott Downs was handed the ball to start the seventh. He pitched well enough, but both Francisco Cervelli and Derek Jeter worked walks around a Gardner sac bunt. When second baseman Macier Iztuios bobbled Mark Teixeira’s ground ball, the Yanks were set. Robinson Cano fouled off one curve ball, but drove the next pitch over the wall in right, and the Yanks had a 6-2 lead.

Cory Wade got an out in the ninth, but surrendered back-to-back base hits. The second brought on Mariano Rivera. The suddenly struggling greatest closer of all time, however, surrendered a Russell Branyan homer for three runs, but a ground ball and a foul liner closed it out.

Two Yankee home runs were bigger than their two Angels home runs, if just, and the Yanks cashed in a 6-5 win.

BTW,TYW
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!