Yankees have fun; roll past Bucs 13-6

It was the sixth straight win for New York.

NEW YORK (AP) — Joe Torre offered a simple explanation for his team’s recent turnaround.

“Looseness. These guys are having fun with each other,” the Yankees’ manager said Sunday after New York’s sluggers broke loose in a 13-6 victory over the Pirates.

Alex Rodriguez homered twice and drove in five runs, Bobby Abreu went 4-for-4 with three RBIs and the Yankees overpowered Pittsburgh for their sixth consecutive victory.

Abreu and Rodriguez each scored four times and Hideki Matsui hit a two-run double, helping the resurgent Yankees (30-31) set a season high for runs in winning for the ninth time in 11 games. It’s their longest winning streak since they won six straight last September.

Turning point last month

Torre and several players pointed to a turning point late last month in Toronto, where the Yankees held a team meeting. They were so tight during a five-game skid, it seemed nobody smiled for days. So to loosen everyone up, Torre canceled batting practice one afternoon and told his players to come to the ballpark only an hour before the game.

“Joe sat us all down and talked to us very firmly,” Rodriguez said. “I think our mood came, and then the winning came after.”

One day after Roger Clemens’ successful return, New York completed a three-game sweep and sent the Pirates to their ninth defeat in 12 games. Pittsburgh also was swept at Yankee Stadium in an interleague series two years ago and hasn’t won at the ballpark since Game 5 of the 1960 World Series.

“They’re hot right now. We just played them at a bad time,” Pittsburgh’s Xavier Nady said.

Sean Henn (2-0) replaced ineffective rookie Tyler Clippard and worked two scoreless innings for the win.

New York’s much-maligned bullpen came through, with four relievers combining for 51⁄3 shutout innings.

On offense, the Yankees tagged former teammate Shawn Chacon (2-1), who allowed seven runs and eight hits in 31⁄3 innings.

“They’re so patient. They’re so disciplined at the plate,” Chacon said. “They make you put the ball over the plate and they wait for their pitch.”

Perfect day at plate

Abreu tripled, doubled and walked during a perfect day at the plate. New York’s 3-4-5 hitters, Abreu, Rodriguez and Matsui, finished 8-for-11 with four walks.

With the Yankees trailing 6-5 in the fourth, Rodriguez greeted reliever Josh Sharpless by driving a 2-0 pitch over the left-field fence for a three-run homer.

A-Rod, who leads the major leagues with 24 homers and 63 RBIs, made it 10-6 with a two-run shot in the sixth off Masumi Kuwata, called up Saturday from Triple-A Indianapolis when reliever Salomon Torres (elbow) went on the disabled list.

The 39-year-old Kuwata became the oldest player to make his major league debut since another Pirates pitcher, 41-year-old Diomedes Olivo, on Sept. 5, 1960, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.