Game 97 notes: Yankees win 17-5

If you told me that the Yankees would sweep a doubleheader with Kei Igawa and Matt DeSalvo starting both games, I would've said you were crazy. However, that is exactly what the Yankees did today, as they won the night cap by a score of 17-5. Luis Vizcaino won both games to improve to 8-2.

DeSalvo wasn't around long. He pitched 4 2-3 innings, gave up four runs, and struck out four. Brian Bruney then came in and gave up a run. The bats, not the pitching, carried the Yankees today. They pounded out 20 hits, including three each from Alex Rodriguez, and Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera.

Johnny Damon and Rodriguez each had four RBIs, and Bobby Abreu and Hideki Matsui added three each.

J.P. Howell started for Tampa Bay and didn't fare well. In five innings, he gave up 10 hits and seven runs. Jay Witasick followed him and gave up four earned runs in one inning of work. Brian Stokes then relieved Witasick and gave up five runs himself.

Some notes from the game:

• Rodriguez's home run in the sixth gave him 33 on the season and 497 for his career. He has 35 all of last year. He also has 96 RBIs.
• All of the Yankees' starters had at least one hit. In fact, all of the had at least two hits each except for Hideki Matsui.
  
• Wil Nieves went 2-3 with two doubles and two RBIs in what is likely his last game as a Yankee. He is now batting .164.
  
• The Yankees hit eight doubles and two home runs.
• Matsui homered in both games of the doubleheader.
• Vizcaino's eight wins are second most on the Yankees behind Chien-Ming Wang's 10.
• Andy Phillips added two more hits and is now batting .312.
• The Yankees scored five runs in the sixth and seventh innings.
  
• The Yankees scored 24 runs in today's doubleheader.

The Yankees now have 50 wins. They have also cut the Red Sox lead to 7.5 games. As I'm writing this, Cleveland is losing 8-4 to the Texas Rangers in the bottom of the eighth. If Cleveland loses, the Yankees will have gained 1.5 games in the Wild Card.

(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)