Jun 20, 2009 10:27 pm US/Eastern
Yanks' Bats Absent For Burnett, Lose To Fish 2-1
MIAMI (CBS) ―
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A.J. Burnett #34 of the New York Yankees pitches against the Chicago Cubs during their game on April 4, 2009 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx
Nick Laham/Getty Images
Josh Johnson pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, Dan Uggla homered and the Florida Marlins beat the New York Yankees 2-1 on Saturday night.
Johnson (7-1) struck out five and walked two, outpitching former Marlins teammate A.J. Burnett (5-4). The Yankees didn't do much to help their starting pitcher.
Johnny Damon misplayed a ball hit to left field by Jorge Cantu in the sixth, allowing Hanley Ramirez to score from first to give the Marlins a 2-0 lead they would never lose.
The play was ruled an error, with Damon slow to read the ball, whiffing on the catch and letting the ball to trickle to the wall.
Johnson quieted a Yankees team that kept a slumping Alex Rodriguez out of the starting lineup for the second straight game because of fatigue. But the three-time AL MVP did pinch-hit in the eighth, drawing a walk in his first plate appearance ever for a regular-season game in his hometown of Miami.
Matt Lindstrom pitched the ninth for his 13th save in 15 chances, getting Robinson Cano to ground into a game-ending double play.
The Yankees' fans turned out in scores for the second straight game with their team's rare visit to Miami. The Bronx buzz helped fill the stadium with 46,427 fans, the third-largest home crowd in Marlins history.
The stadium's orange seats could barely be seen, replaced with fans in navy and pinstripes, who chanted and ranted with every swing. Florida fans fought back with cow bells that were handed out at the gate, creating a circus-like atmosphere rarely seen at baseball games in Miami.
They even to got cheer one of their own.
It was Rodriguez's first regular-season plate appearance in his hometown of Miami against the Marlins. The crowd stood throughout his at-bat and gave him nothing but cheers, the camera flashed with every pitch.
He walked to put two runners on with no outs, but Derek Jeter grounded into a double play to put a major dent in the Yankees' rally.
It was one of many chances New York blew.
Nick Swisher hit a single to score Cano in the seventh to give the Yankees their only run. With runners on first and third, Johnson regrouped and struck out Melky Cabrera, pounding his glove and waving his hands in celebration.
With the loss, the Yankees fell to 38-30, and have won only four of their last 10 games. They are three games back of the first-place Red Sox in the AL East.
NOTES: Yankees OF Xavier Nady went 0 for 4 in five innings of an extended spring training game Saturday in Clearwater, Fla. It was the second consecutive day he played since hurting a ligament in his right elbow while making a throw April 14 at Tampa Bay. He hopes to start a minor league rehab assignment next week. ... Marlins RHP Anibal Sanchez played catch Saturday for the first time since aggravating his throwing shoulder during a mound session June 3. Sanchez, who threw a no-hitter in September 2006, is not expected to come off the DL when he is eligible on June 18.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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