Bronx, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Carlos Beltran's sixth-inning grand slam highlighted the New York Yankees' third straight win, a 10-6 decision over the Cleveland Indians that opened a three-game series.
Beltran added an RBI single as part of a two-hit, five-RBI night, while Esmil Rogers turned in five effective innings in a spot start to help the Yankees prevail for the sixth time in seven outings.
Rogers (2-0), filling in for an injured David Phelps, held the slumping Indians to one run on four hits in his first start of the season.
"I thought he did a really good job," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. "When you think about it, he threw on Tuesday as well. That's why we took him out when we did. He did an outstanding job."
Counterpart Trevor Bauer (4-7) wasn't remotely as sharp. The Tribe right- hander walked four batters and hit another in a 3 1/3-inning stint in which he was tagged for five runs and six hits.
Carlos Santana finished 3-for-5 with three RBI in the loss, Cleveland's fourth straight. David Murphy knocked in a pair of runs and Jason Kipnis went 2-for-4 while scoring twice.
"I think we all understand the type of team we need to be to win," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Not making teams earn every single thing they get doesn't put us in the best position to win."
Rogers was touched for a first-inning run before pitching nearly spotlessly over the rest of his stint, and the Yankees got that run back and more by having seven straight hitters reach base against an off-target Bauer while scoring five times in the bottom of the frame.
Derek Jeter began the sequence with an infield single and Bauer walked Jacoby Ellsbury -- the first of three free passes issued by the right-hander during the inning -- before Beltran shot a base hit through the right side to even the score at 1-1.
Bauer proceeded to walk the next two batters, including Chase Headley with the bases loaded, then served up a sharp single to Stephen Drew that scored Beltran for a 3-1 lead.
Martin Prado followed with a grounder up the middle that Kipnis got a glove on, but his toss to second base sailed over the head of shortstop Jose Ramirez as both Brian McCann and Headley crossed the plate.
Kipnis socked Rogers' second pitch of the night to left for a double and came around on a clutch two-out single by Santana to briefly put Cleveland ahead. Rogers was stingy thereafter, however, yielding just two singles and a walk over the next four innings to keep the Yankees comfortably in front.
Rogers threw 88 pitches prior to giving way to ex-Indian David Huff, who was promptly greeted by a double from Michael Brantley to begin the sixth. Murphy singled two batters later to pull the Indians within 5-2, but further damage was prevented by a tough running catch from New York right fielder Ichiro Suzuki on Ramirez's hard liner with two on and two out.
The Yankees then put the game out of reach in their half of the sixth, courtesy of Beltran's 11th career grand slam.
Walks to Suzuki, Brett Gardner and Ellsbury set up the blast off John Axford that staked New York to a 9-2 advantage. The Yankees added another run in the inning when Francisco Cervelli doubled and later scored on a throwing error by Ramirez.
Cleveland did manage to cut its eight-run deficit in half by striking four times in the seventh. Shawn Kelley's bases-loaded walk to Brantley brought in the first run, right before Santana greeted Adam Warren with a two-run double to right to make it a 10-5 game. Murphy's sacrifice fly plated Brantley for the game's final tally.
Game Notes
Jeter's first-inning single was the 3,430th hit of his decorated career, which ties Hall of Famer Honus Wagner for sixth place on baseball's all-time list ... Cervelli replaced McCann, who took a foul ball off his catcher's mask earlier in the game, in the sixth inning ... The Indians have lost seven straight to New York in the Bronx and are 4-15 all-time at the current Yankee Stadium ... Rogers pitched 44 games in relief for Cleveland in 2012. He was traded to Toronto the subsequent offseason for current Indians starting catcher Yan Gomes and infielder Mike Aviles.
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