Cabrera slows down Yanks offense, O's roll

BALTIMORE (AP) -- One single at a time, the Baltimore Orioles pounded the power-laden New York Yankees into submission.

Baltimore scored seven runs in the sixth inning on seven hits, all of them singles, and cruised to an 8-2 victory Friday night.

"We haven't been getting a lot of extra-base hits. It would be nice to throw a three-run homer up there to give us some breathing room, but how ever we can do it," said Jay Payton, who delivered a clutch two-run pinch single.

Melvin Mora also drove in two runs in the sixth, and Nick Markakis had two hits in the inning.

"We probably took a key from Wee Willie Keeler: Hit 'em where they ain't," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "They all count."

Baltimore's Daniel Cabrera and Phil Hughes were locked in a 1-1 duel before the Orioles sent 11 men to the plate in their most productive inning of the season.

Singles by Markakis, Kevin Millar and Luke Scott produced the go-ahead run. After Aubrey Huff popped out, Adam Jones chased Hughes with an infield hit that drove in another run. Former Oriole LaTroy Hawkins issued an intentional walk before Payton got his third pinch-hit single in as many nights.

"I'm not going to rack my brain about what I am doing," Payton said. "I'm just going up trying to get a hit when we need it."

Brian Roberts then grounded out, but Mora ended Hawkins' outing with a two-run single. Markakis followed with an RBI single off Edwar Ramirez.

Hughes (0-3) gave up five runs and a career-high nine hits in his 17th major league appearance. It's also the first time in his professional career he has lost three straight starts.

"I thought he threw the ball a lot better," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "Unfortunately, it was a tight ball game and it kind of got away from us that inning."

Cabrera (1-0) was pulled after giving up a a leadoff homer to Chad Moeller in the seventh. The right-hander allowed two runs, six hits and a season-low two walks.

Not bad for a pitcher who went 9-18 last season, including 1-3 with a 6.67 ERA against New York.

"There's no reason in the world when this guy pitches, he can't give us seven or eight innings and dominate a ball game and give not only himself, but the club, the feeling that we're going to win," Trembley said.

New York missed a chance to break a scoreless tie in the fourth inning when Markakis threw out Bobby Abreu trying to score from second on a two-out single to right by Hideki Matsui. Scott doubled and scored on a double-play grounder in the bottom half.

The Yankees tied it in the fifth when Robinson Cano singled, took third on Melky Cabrera's double and scored when Mora booted Moeller's grounder to third. With runners on the corners and two outs, Derek Jeter grounded out.

After two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases for New York with two outs in the sixth, Daniel Cabrera pumped his fist and screamed with delight when he struck out Melky Cabrera on a 2-2 pitch.

"I think that's one of the keys of the game," Daniel Cabrera said. "I can make a good pitch in that situation and get out of the inning, and we come back and get some runs."

Indeed, Baltimore ended all the suspense in the bottom half.

"We had a tough time scoring runs off of Cabrera tonight. You look at your opportunities, and if you don't take advantage sometimes it's going to hurt you," Girardi said. "You're not always going to get hits with runners in scoring position. But I look at the at-bats and I thought the at-bats were pretty good. So you move on."

Game notes
Markakis leads AL outfielders with four assists. ... Jeter has 14 hits this season, 13 of them singles. ... Moeller's homer was his first with the Yankees. ... Payton has all three of Baltimore's pinch hits this year.