D’backs 6
Yankees 1
PHOENIX – Considering how many large biceps surround Yankee pitchers, the feeling among the hurlers is very simple.
“With the way we have been swinging the bats, everybody who goes out there and throws five or six decent innings has a chance to win,” pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre said.
Well, Jon Lieber did more than that, limiting the Diamondbacks to two runs through seven frames. But knuckleballer Steve Sparks and Elmer Dessens smothered the Yankee bats and pitched the Diamondbacks to a 6-1 victory in front of a crowd of 48,252 last night at Bank One Ballpark.
Sparks and Dessens limited the Yanks to four hits, one of which was Alex Rodriguez’ 16th homer in the sixth.
“We hit a couple of balls hard,” Joe Torre said of Sparks. “We had a couple of chances, but he got outs when he neeeded them.’
Lieber gave up two runs in the eighth and was replaced by Felix Heredia with Danny Bautista on third and no outs.
The loss stopped the Yankees’ winning streak at four and reduced their AL East lead over the Red Sox to 4½ games going into L.A. for a three-game series at Dodger Stadium.
Sparks, who hadn’t won since April 22 in a relief appearance, gave up one run, three hits, walked seven and fanned three. He is 3-4.
Despite Sparks not taxing his arm through 125 pitches, manager Bob Brenly lifted Sparks and summoned Dessens from the bullpen to start the eighth and the move worked since Dessens retired A-Rod on a grounder, fanned the slumping Jason (2-for-23) Giambi looking and retired Gary Sheffield on a routine fly to left.
The Diamondbacks scored four in the eighth. Steve Finley, who went 3-for-4 off Lieber, opened with a single and scored from first on Bautista’s double to right-center.
When Bernie Williams juggled the ball at the wall, Bautista went to third. Heredia surfaced to face left-handed hitting Luis Gonzalez, whom he walked. That brought Bret Prinz into the game and he gave up a two-run double to Shea Hillenbrand that gave Arizona a 5-1 bulge. Juan Brito’s RBI single made it 6-1.
In seven-plus innings, Lieber gave up four runs and nine hits. He is 5-4 and has dropped three of his last four decisions.
“There’re going to be games like this,” said Lieber. “In Baltimore, we scored 11 or 12 runs. It comes and goes like this.”
Brito’s one-out, line-drive homer to left in the seventh staked the Diamondbacks to a 2-1 lead. It was Brito’s first major league homer and came on an 0-1 pitch.
A Yankee lineup that was hitting .415 (61-for-147) against Sparks at the beginning of the game could only score one run. A-Rod, a .429 (15-for-35) hitter against Sparks, drove a 63-mph knuckleball 456 feet leading off the sixth and tied the score, 1-1.
Sparks walked seven in seven innings and issued free passes to Enrique Wilson and Williams in the seventh but watched Bautista chase down Derek Jeter’s drive to right-center for the final out.
Lieber allowed one run across five frames but needed a crucial interference call to go his way in the fifth to keep the Diamondbacks’ lead to 1-0.
With Tim Olson on third and Brito on first and one out, Brito broke from first on a delayed steal. When Jorge Posada double-clutched and prepared to throw, Scott Hairston drifted into Posada’s way and interfered with the throw.
Brito was sent back to first and Hairston was ruled out. Williams tracked down Steve Finley’s laser to center for the final out and strand two runners.
The Diamondbacks took a 1-0 lead in the first when Hairston and Finley opened with singles that put runners at the corners for Bautista. His grounder to short forced Finley at second but Giambi couldn’t handle Wilson’s pivot throw at first and Hairston scored.
Through five innings the Yankees collected two hits and five walks but didn’t score against Sparks’ fluttering offerings.