All it took for the New York Yankees’ bats to awaken was manager Joe Girardi getting run.
That’s what happened on Wednesday night in the sixth inning in Atlanta. Girardi came out to argue when Brett Gardner was picked off first – it did look like Gardner was safe. Replays seemed to show the umpire eventually asking Girardi if he wanted to be thrown out, and Girardi said yes.
It worked.
Francisco Cervelli hit his first career homer to break New York’s 14-inning scoreless drought in Atlanta and Alex Rodriguez had a two-run single in the sixth innings as the Yanks went on to win 8-4. That hit ended a 1-for-25 slump for A-Rod. He is still hitting just .210.
“It’s been frustrating not being able to get the big hits and hit the ball well consistently,” Rodriguez said. “For me, the good news is the last two days, I’ve felt very good about the way my body has reacted.”
There’s a chance, however, that A-Rod sit out tonight. He has been told he will get a game off every week through the All-Star break. Girardi said that he planned to speak to the Yankees and A-Rod’s doctors before deciding if the slugger would play tonight.
The Yankees had scored only 18 runs in their previous seven games, losing five. That prompted GM Brian Cashman to fly to Atlanta to watch the team in person.
New York looks to win the series behind veteran lefty Andy Pettitte (7-3, 4.26). He seems to love pitching on the road, going 4-1 with a 2.35 ERA. In nine previous regular-season games against the Braves, Pettitte is 5-1 with a 3.13 ERA. But New York is a +102 money line underdog on WagerWeb.com.
Atlanta counters with right-hander Derek Lowe (7-5, 4.09), who knows the Yanks well from his time with the Red Sox. He will be making his first start against the Yankees since beating them at Yankee Stadium in Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS. Lowe has lost back-to-back starts for the first time this year but is 3-1 with a 2.75 ERA in his past five home starts.
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