Sports Network | June 27, 2010
Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - James Loney went 2-for-4 with four RBI as the Los Angeles Dodgers clobbered the New York Yankees, 9-4, to give manager Joe Torre his first win against his former team.
The Yankees took a 2-1 decision on Friday in the opener of this three-game interleague set. It was the first time Torre had faced his former team after ending his 12-year run as skipper of the club following the 2007 season.
"[The win is] important because they're the world champs...They're dangerous," Torre said. "Every time we face someone, we have to measure ourselves."
Rafael Furcal went 3-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored while Manny Ramirez scored twice and drove in a run for the Dodgers, who won for just the second time in their past nine games.
Hiroki Kuroda (7-5) went 5 1/3 innings to get the win as he gave up four runs on seven hits with three walks and five strikeouts.
Mark Teixeira hit a three-run home run and Alex Rodriguez drove in the other run for the Yankees, who had won five of six coming into the contest. A.J. Burnett's (6-7) struggles continued as he was tagged for six runs on six hits with six walks and five strikeouts in three-plus innings to drop his fifth straight start.
The Yankees jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning on Teixeira's 13th homer of the year, a three-run shot over the wall in right-center.
Los Angeles got two back in the bottom of the frame on an RBI ground-rule double from Ramirez followed by a sacrifice fly from Loney to make it a 3-2 game.
New York added a run in the third as Rodriguez's fielder's choice scored Derek Jeter for a 4-2 lead.
The Dodgers, though, answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead. With the bases loaded and no outs, Loney stroked a single to right that plated two. After Casey Blake walked, Russell Martin hit into a double play that scored Ramirez for a 5-4 lead.
"I just couldn't find the zone in the third," Burnett admitted. "I have to keep plugging away. I'm not going to quit. That's impossible."
Los Angeles made it a 7-4 game in the fourth as Loney's RBI single was followed by a run-scoring double from Blake.
The Yanks put men on first and second with one out in the sixth, but Hong-Chih Kuo came on in relief and retired the next two batters to keep the three-run lead intact.
Kuo stayed on for the seventh inning and set the Yankees down in order while the Dodgers solidified their lead in the home half of the frame on an RBI single from Furcal, that saw him advance to third on Nick Swisher's errant throw to home, followed by Matt Kemp's RBI double for a 9-4 advantage.
Jeff Weaver was on the mound for the eighth, but was pulled with one out and runners on first and second. George Sherrill then took the mound and got pinch-hitter Chad Huffman to line out, and Jonathan Broxton followed by striking out Jeter to end the frame.
Broxton stayed on for the ninth and worked around a two-out walk to Rodriguez to seal the victory. The game ended on a beautiful diving stop by Furcal on a Robinson Cano grounder.
Jeter celebrated his 36th birthday Saturday...This is just the second regular- season series between these teams. The last was in 2004 when the Dodgers took two of three in LA...Andy Pettitte will take the mound for New York in the series finale on Sunday and will be opposed by Clayton Kershaw...Burnett fell to 3-3 lifetime against the Dodgers...Both teams left 10 men on base, but New York went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position while Los Angeles went 6- for-14.