New Faces in the Middle of the Order Power the Yankees Over the Red Sox

For two years, the middle of the Yankees ' batting order, once the stuff of legend, looked more like pillow stuffing: soft and pliable and devoid of the power that usually propelled the bombers in the Bronx.

The Yankees spent the off-season trying to reshape it, maneuvering around the departures of Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez by signing other highly prized hitters like Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann. On Saturday, the Yankees got their first taste of what those newcomers could do.

Ellsbury, Beltran and McCann may not yet be another Murderers' Row, but they drove in five of the Yankees' runs as they defeated the Boston Red Sox, 7-4, in front of a sellout crowd at sun-splashed Yankee Stadium.

Ellsbury has had little trouble transitioning from Boston to New York, where the fan expectations and news media pressure are relatively comparable. Beltran spent seven seasons playing for the Mets, so he certainly understands the environment.

McCann, who had spent his entire career with the Atlanta Braves' organization, was somewhat more of a question mark. He seemed bound to produce eventually; McCann was a seven-time All-Star, with six consecutive seasons with at least 20 home runs. But a slow start might have curbed some expectations.

McCann had five hits in his first 33 at-bats this season, but Saturday's performance looked like a healthy breakthrough. He homered twice, two powerful blasts into the short porch in right field that was expected to be his likely target this season.

He also threw out Mike Carp attempting to steal second base in a crucial situation in the seventh, with two outs and a runner on third, helping the Yankees preserve a two-run lead.

Beltran homered in the first inning, driving in Ellsbury, who went 2 for 3 and is hitting .391 in the No. 3 spot in the order, where he was slotted after Mark Teixeira went to the disabled list. But Hiroki Kuroda, the Yankees' starter, promptly gave the two runs back to the Red Sox on a home run by A. J. Pierzynski.

Kuroda settled down and, in the fourth inning, McCann and Alfonso Soriano hit back-to-back home runs - the first by Yankees teammates since last June 6 - to put the Yankees ahead, 4-2.

After allowing a leadoff double to Dustin Pedroia in the fifth, Kuroda worked his way through the heart of Boston's order without giving up a run. He was pulled in the seventh after putting two runners on base, and they both scored as reliever Matt Thornton gave up a single to Carp. But McCann's play on Carp's steal attempt ended the threat.

In the eighth, Kelly Johnson hit his third home run of the season and completed a superlative afternoon for the new Yankee faces: four home runs and six runs batted in.

One mainstay was conspicuous by his absence. Derek Jeter had the day off after playing in Friday's night game. It was the first time Jeter has sat at home this season, but Manager Joe Girardi said it was not to expect it to be the last. Jeter, his 39-year-old shortstop, will need breaks.

'I would like to run him out there 162 times,' Girardi said before the game. 'But I have to do what's best for him and the team.'

Girardi added that he felt sorry for fans who paid for tickets to see Jeter, but his concern was about managing the team for the long haul.

'I wasn't hired to put on a farewell tour,' Girardi said.

INSIDE PITCH

Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira (hamstring strain) said that he expected to come off the disabled list next Sunday. He said he planned to hit in the cage before Saturday's game and to travel with the team to Florida this week so he could participate in extended spring training games before being activated.

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