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Yankees 17, Athletics 7: Heat, Humidity and Concern for Hughes, but the Yankees’ Offense Rolls
The pregame measures — canceling batting practice and keeping the players on a hydration regimen, for example — seemed all the more necessary as the game stretched to 3 hours 41 minutes, thanks to home runs by Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira in a nine-run third inning and a laborious, disconcerting outing from Phil Hughes. But the Yankees’ 17-7 victory over the Oakland Athletics will probably be best remembered for the ovenlike setting — and all that came with it. It was 100 degrees at first pitch, the hottest game-time temperature at the new Yankee Stadium, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The last time it was 100 degrees in the Bronx at first pitch of a Yankees game was July 5, 1999, against Baltimore. “I’m not sure I can ever remember it being the numbers it is here without a breeze,” Gene Monahan, the Yankees’ trainer since 1973, said of the temperature. “In my 39 years, I’m not sure <a href="http://www.trading666.com/others-t1-29.html"><strong>wholesale cheap newport cigarettes outlet</strong></a> I remember it with the numbers they’re talking about with the day games tomorrow and Sunday.” Perhaps a real reason for worry this weekend is that pitchers other than C. C. Sabathia will be starting. The Yankees are not sure what they will get when Sabathia is not on the mound, and Hughes’s performance Friday is certain to add to the debate about how they should bolster the rotation nearing the July 31 trade deadline. The Yankees <a href="www.trading666.com"><strong>wholesale Cheap Replica Handbags from china </strong></a> gave Hughes plenty of cushion, getting to A’s starter Trevor Cahill for 10 runs in two-plus innings. But Hughes pitched as if he were trying to surrender the 12-run lead he was handed after the third, failing to command his fastball. Hughes, in his third start since returning from the disabled list, allowed seven runs and nine hits in four and a third innings. “I would have liked to be better, but we won the game,” Hughes said. “It’s not like we got our butts kicked tonight, so it’s sort of easier to sit back and be like, O.K., what do I need to work on? I know what needs to be better.” The pitching issues were out of focus before the game, though. Instead, the start of the Yankees’ 10-game homestand was notable mostly because of the atmosphere — in the most literal sense. To combat the heat, the Yankees took precautions that included setting up cold whirlpools near the dugout and recommending a meal plan replete with fruits, vegetables, water and sports drinks. “Hydration is No. 1,” Monahan said. “We like to prehydrate, so we don’t get the associated cramping and pulling. When you lose water and electrolytes through sweating, your muscles aren’t going to function, and it starts with cramping.” The decision to cancel batting practice, however, was a result of both the heat and the team’s 3 a.m. return on Friday after a flight home from a series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Instead, a few of the Yankees took practice swings in a batting cage in a cool area near the dugout. The A’s did not cancel their batting practice. It would seem the Yankees did not need extra work in the batting cage, and the steamy air might have <a href="http://www.trading666.com/others-brand-cigarettes-f2-66.html"><strong>wholesale newport box shorts cigarettes online </strong></a> even helped their productivity. In the third, Swisher blasted a three-run homer off Cahill, who lasted only five batters into that inning. Teixeira capped the Yankees’ offensive outburst in the inning with a grand slam off Michael Wuertz. The nine runs were the most the Yankees have scored in an inning this season. On particularly hot days, players have been known to switch jerseys to keep from getting bogged down in a sweaty, heavy jersey. Other players have been said to place towels soaked in spirits of ammonia and water around their necks, to cool them down and also to perk them up. When Manager Joe Girardi was a player, his teammates would put pieces of cold lettuce on their heads during hot days. And while he would not admit to trying it, Girardi offered a prediction for why his teammates did it. “I think it was iceberg,” Girardi said of the type of lettuce. “Maybe that’s why it worked.” There were no reports of lettuce in the Yankees dugout Friday, but there may be a need for inventive remedies as the heat wave settles over the area this weekend. The Yankees are scheduled to play a pair of day games, when temperatures will be at their highest. INSIDE PITCH Joe Girardi said it was “definitely possible” that Rafael Soriano, who has been out with right elbow inflammation, and Eric Chavez, sidelined with a fractured left foot, could rejoin the team during this homestand. ...Hector Noesi (2-0) picked up the win after throwing three and two-thirds scoreless innings in relief. ... Brandon <a href="http://www.paalupaikka.com/galleria/displayimage.php?pos=-6087"><strong>UAH/HKD</strong></a> Laird singled in a run in the eighth inning for his first major league hit.
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