Yanks top Phils in WS rematch
Bronx, NY (Sports Network) - Nick Swisher clubbed a two-run homer as the New York Yankees took an 8-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in a rematch from last year's World Series.
In last year's Fall Classic, the Yankees downed the Phillies in six games to capture their 27th world title, ending a nine-year drought.
Brett Gardner hit a two-run triple while Francisco Cervelli drove in a pair of runs for the Yankees, who have won four straight and seven of their last eight. CC Sabathia (7-3) won his third straight start as he went seven innings and was charged with three runs on five hits with three walks and seven strikeouts for New York, which has won nine straight home games.Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez and Ben Francisco each drove in a run for the Phillies, who have dropped four of their last five. Roy Halladay (8-5) was tagged with the loss as he was roughed up for six runs on eight hits with a pair of walks and five strikeouts over six innings of work.With one out in the second, the Yanks took the lead as a single from Swisher and a walk by Jorge Posada was followed by a shot to right-center from Gardner that rolled back to the wall for a triple and a 2-0 lead.New York increased its lead in the third as Curtis Granderson led off by crushing a 2-2 pitch into the second deck in right field and Swisher later added a two-run homer for a 5-0 lead.The Phils battled back with three runs in the fourth to make it a two-run game. With the bases loaded and no outs, Werth singled home a run and Ibanez followed with an RBI single. Francisco then hit into a fielder's choice that saw Ryan Howard score, but Juan Castro struck out and Carlos Ruis grounded out to end the inning.Philly loaded the bases in the fifth, but it was with two outs and Ibanez grounded out to end the threat.New York got a run back in the fifth as Mark Teixeira smacked a solo homer to right, his 10th of the year.Sabathia worked 1-2-3 frames in the sixth and seventh innings while Francisco Cervelli gave the Yanks some insurance in the bottom of the seventh with his two-run single to left for an 8-3 lead.David Robertson worked around a two-out walk in the eighth and Chan Ho Park set the Phils down in order in the ninth to secure the win.Game NotesThe Yankees are an MLB-best 27-5 when scoring the first run...Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez sat out a fourth straight game with tendinitis in his right hip flexor...Philly took two of three in New York during last season's interleague matchup...The three-game interleague set continues on Wednesday with Kyle Kendrick taking the mound for Philly and A.J. Burnett toeing the rubber for New York.
