Talented Yanks deliver in Jeter's absence

The text message came to Nick Swisher earlier yesterday, before he arrived at Yankee Stadium, and the rightfielder showed reporters his facial expression upon learning -- from Joe Girardi -- that he'd be hitting leadoff.

The facial expression looked like one that you or I would use if we learned that our next-door neighbors, the friendly couple with the cute kids, were actually Martians.

Swisher said that he responded with this text: "Whatever you need from me, man."

And that forecast the Yankees' 12-4 pounding of the Rangers at Yankee Stadium, their second straight blowout victory over their 2010 postseason nemeses.

Replacing the injured Derek Jeter hardly ranks as the toughest task of this Yankees season, given that Jeter had been offering replacement-level numbers. Yet as Jeter packed his bags for Tampa, where he'll be rehabilitating his strained right calf, the Yankees delivered a game that served as a tribute to an in-his-prime Jeter.

Swisher, who didn't enjoy his time as a leadoff hitter with the 2008 White Sox, rewarded Girardi by reaching base in three of his five plate appearances, hitting a ground ball double, walking twice and scoring once.

"I didn't try to do anything different," Swisher said.

SEE PHOTOSDerek Jeter timeline

Shortstop Eduardo Nunez committed an error on Josh Hamilton's fifth-inning grounder, and he also got thrown out at third base on Francisco Cervelli's single in the bottom of that inning. He made those sins more forgivable, however, by crushing a game-tying homer to leftfield in the fourth, and he added a seventh-inning single and two stolen bases.

"He's played well," Girardi said. "I told him, 'I'm not asking you to be Derek Jeter. I'm asking you to be Eduardo Nunez. You're a guy who can go out and do a lot of things.'"

"I'm doing my best," Nunez said.

Clutch hitting? The Yankees went 3-for-9 with a pair of walks in 11 plate appearances with runners in scoring position. They've put together two straight excellent offensive outings against one of the American League's better pitching staffs.

"Hitting's contagious," said Mark Teixeira, who went deep twice, tying teammate Curtis Granderson and Toronto's Jose Bautista for the major league lead with 21 homers. "It started in the Cleveland series. Just really seeing the ball well and putting good swings. Going in deep counts when we need to. Taking our walks when we need to. But really just being aggressive at the plate."

Clutch defense? Cervelli did an excellent job of blocking the plate, catching Granderson's throw, and holding onto the ball as he tagged out Yorvit Torrealba on Elvis Andrus' sixth-inning single. The Yankees then responded with a three-run sixth, giving their depleted bullpen some appreciated breathing room.

"Home plate is my house," Cervelli said. "You've got to protect everything there."

Even Ramiro Pena, who took Jeter's roster spot Tuesday, started at third base and contributed a home run and single. All of this helped starting pitcher Ivan Nova, who hardly was sharp but limited the Rangers to two hits, two walks and a sacrifice fly in 11 plate appearances with runners in scoring position.

The Yankees, in summary, displayed little indication that they are feeling sorry for themselves. To the contrary, they are playing extremely solid baseball despite the rash of injuries. They now have won five of six games since their embarrassing home sweep at the hands of the Red Sox last week.

Whatever Girardi needs, his players are providing. They're both honoring Jeter's legacy and topping his current level of production.