Instead of taking a bite out of the Big Apple on their first trip to New York City, Tony Sipp and David Huff have been bitten by the Yankees.
For the second time in three days, Tribe reliever Tony Sipp gave up a big homer to the New York Yankees. Sipp was vicitimized Sunday by Mark Teixeira, rounding third in the background after blasting a three-run homer in the seventh. Friday night, Sipp gave up a grand slam to Robinson Cano.
New York -- So far, the first trip to the big city for Tony Sipp and David Huff has been a bang. The wrong kind of bang. Alex Rodriguez hit Huff in the head Saturday with a line drive and sent him to the hospital. Huff returned to Yankee Stadium on Sunday morning with a smile on his face and a lump on the left side of his head.
Sipp hasn't suffered physically, but he has gone from unhittable to easy pickings. Mark Teixeira hit a three-run homer off the left-hander in the seventh inning to rally the Yankees to a 7-3 victory over the Indians and ruin a good performance by Justin Masterson. Teixeira's three-run drive into the left field seats came on the heels of Robinson Cano's grand slam off Sipp in Friday's 8-2 New York victory.
Before arriving in New York for the first time, Sipp allowed three earned runs in 191/3 innings. He was rolling, pitching 151/3 consecutive scoreless innings. In his first two games in the Bronx, he's allowed six earned runs in one-third of an inning.
"Things are still good," said Sipp. "I still like New York. I still wake up and get to come in and play baseball for a living. I'm not complaining. . . . You're going to have days like this. It does happen."
It didn't matter if it was a lefty or righty, nobody was hitting Sipp until he walked into the new Yankee Stadium. Cano, a lefty, beat him on the slam. Teixeira, a switch-hitter batting right-handed, beat him Sunday.
Sipp relieved Masterson after Derek Jeter hit a two-out, two-run single to cut the Indians' lead to 3-2. Curtis Granderson greeted Sipp with a double as Jeter moved to third. Sipp hung a 2-2 slider to Teixeira that appeared to be frozen in space over the plate. The Yankees' first baseman, hitting just .221, hit it 434 feet.
Asked about the movement on the pitch, Sipp said, "It didn't move a whole lot."
Luis Valbuena gets sawed off by the Yankees' Mariano Rivera while hitting into the final out of the game Sunday in New York. Valbuena joins a long line of hitters who have shattered their bats on Rivera's cut fastball.
Manager Manny Acta said no one told Masterson that he was pitching for his job Sunday. No one had to because all the signs were there. Masterson, who has lost 11 straight decisions, lasted four innings in his last start. Before Sunday's game, Aaron Laffey was optioned to Class AAA Columbus so he can get stretched out and challenge for a job in the Tribe's rotation. "I can't really concern myself with those things," said Masterson.
Still, Masterson pitched one clean inning after another until the seventh. He was pitching with a purpose.
It might have had something to do with the Yankees, his old blood rivals from his days with Boston. An adjustment he made in his delivery may have played a part as well. Or it may have simply been desire to stay in the rotation.
"We made a little mechanical adjustment," he said. "It just keeps me on top of the ball. I felt before we were dropped down a little more than what we had been. It was a much better day with control than what we've had so far.
"It was fun. I had a good time out there."
Trevor Crowe's RBI single off A.J. Burnett (6-2, 3.28) in the third gave the Indians a 1-0 lead. They made it 3-0 in the seventh as Luis Valbuena, after getting hit by a pitch and stealing second, scored on Jeter's throwing error on Lou Marson's grounder to short. Jason Donald followed with a triple.
Masterson has not won since Aug. 20, 2009.
"That's hard to believe," said Jeter. "We know him from facing him in Boston. He throws hard. He never throws anything straight. He's not a fun at-bat. I'm sure if he keeps throwing like that, he'll break through."
Masterson had Jeter down in the count 0-2 in the seventh. One more strike and the Tribe's 3-0 lead would have been safe.
"I was trying to get another sinker in," said Masterson, who struck out eight and walked one. "It was down over the middle of the plate. I'm going, "Jeter just bounce out to the second baseman, please." But of course, he does what he's supposed to do with it. That's why he's a great player."
The Yankees made it 7-3 with two runs in the eighth off Jensen Lewis, who arrived from Columbus to take Laffey's spot in the bullpen.