The Yankees aren't going to lose too many games in which Russell Martin hits as many homers as Phil Hughes allowed hits. That happened Friday, and the Yankees won, 8-1, over the Twins in Minnesota. Hughes walked three and struck out only two, but by keeping the hits down, he was able to reap the benefits of another impressive display by the Yankees' offense. One of the hits Hughes allowed was a homer to Trevor Plouffe in the first inning. After that, the Yankees took control. Martin's homer tied it in the third, and Robinson Cano gave the Yankees the lead with an RBI double. Mark Teixeira would later add his 999th and 1,000th career RBIs. The Yankees still lead the American League East by a half-game.
After sitting through a rain delay, the Mets started game later (9:56 p.m.) than any other one since 2007. The drama was over relatively early as Mike Pelfrey continued his pedestrian pitching in a 6-1 loss to the Brewers. Prince Fielder and Tim Byrdak got into a little dustup that caused the bullpens and benches to empty, but cooler heads prevailed. Fielder said he was screaming at himself. Byrdak took exception. As required by baseball code, players must defend their manhood.
