Yankees hit 3 straight homers, win 8th in row

[May 21, 2009]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Nick Swisher is walking around in a mohawk. A.J. Burnett has been pelting teammates with whipped cream pies. Derek Jeter sat on the jury in Kangaroo Court. So much for the straight-laced pinstripes of old. Shedding their corporate image, the New York Yankees are reveling in this winning streak with a childlike enthusiasm.

"It's been a great run for us," Swisher said. "I think having fun creates winning."

Swisher hit the first of three consecutive homers that sent Phil Hughes and the Yankees to their eighth straight victory Wednesday night, 11-4 over the Baltimore Orioles.

Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera also hit solo shots to right field in the second inning against starter Jeremy Guthrie (3-4) -- all with two strikes.

Cano had three hits and three RBIs, and Mark Teixeira hit a run-scoring double off the center-field fence for the Yankees, on their longest winning streak since taking eight in a row last July. New York broke it open with a six-run eighth that included Jeter's two-run double off the top of the right-field wall.

"I liked a little bit of everything," manager Joe Girardi said.

Nearly four hours before the game, the Yankees held a Kangaroo Court, something veteran Andy Pettitte said the team hadn't done since 1995, when Wade Boggs was the sitting judge.

Mariano Rivera was on the bench this time, with Jeter, Burnett and Johnny Damon on the jury.

In a fun ritual that's common practice for many teams -- though not the buttoned-up Yankees -- players are razzed and fined by teammates for all sorts of small transgressions from arriving late to wearing an ugly outfit.

"I took an absolute beating," Alex Rodriguez said, before leaving the clubhouse with his young daughter in his arms. "I think I just barely survived."

Hughes (2-2) struck out a career-high nine in five innings, limiting a Baltimore lineup that tagged him for eight runs and eight hits in 1 2-3 innings on May 9.

It was an important start for the 22-year-old right-hander, whose big league future is uncertain because Chien-Ming Wang appears close to coming off the disabled list and rejoining the rotation.

Before the game, Girardi said Wang's timetable would be determined solely by his health and sharpness, not Hughes' performance. But this outing should only boost confidence in Hughes, who had plenty of zip on a riding fastball that was particularly effective up in the zone.

"I feel like I can compete at this level and get a lot of guys out as well," Hughes said. "So it's a good dilemma for them to have."

Alfredo Aceves followed Hughes with two scoreless innings, Phil Coke recorded two outs and Rivera got four for his eighth save in nine chances.

Rivera gave up a solo homer to Nolan Reimold in the ninth, his first in the majors.

The Yankees broke loose against Baltimore's bullpen in the eighth. Cano and Cabrera each had an RBI single during the burst.

"We just couldn't stay away from the big inning," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said.

Ty Wigginton hit a two-run shot in the fourth for the Orioles, their first homer in five games. Adam Jones added a solo shot in the fifth.

"We had opportunities and we didn't take advantage," Jones said. "He made some good pitches when he had to."

There have been 71 homers hit at the new Yankee Stadium, one shy of the record for the first 19 games at a major league ballpark set at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

This was the eighth game with at least five home runs here. For Swisher, however, it was his first at Yankee Stadium after connecting eight times away from home.

"For a while, I was a road warrior," he said. "For everyone else, it must be easy. For me, it's not."

One player who did not go deep was Rodriguez, who homered in his previous four games.

Notes: Rivera has allowed five homers this year, one more than he gave up in each of the last two seasons and his most since serving up five in 2001. ... It was the 11th time the Yankees have hit three straight homers. ... New York has batted around in an inning each of the past three games.

[Associated Press; By MIKE FITZPATRICK]

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.