Swisher drives in five as Yanks win, 17-7

Everybody loves being on the right end of a blowout, and the Yankees certainly enjoyed their performance at the plate in a 17-7 rout of the Athletics Friday night at the Stadium. But the dark lining to their silver cloud was the mini-blowout that starting pitcher Phil Hughes suffered against an anemic Oakland lineup.

The A's rank next-to-last in the American League in hitting and runs and are last in home runs, but although the Yankees gave Hughes a 14-2 lead after three innings, he was unable to get through the five innings he needed to receive credit for the victory. The A's pounded him for nine hits and seven runs in 41/3 innings as he got a full game's work by throwing 98 pitches.

The Yankees' offensive fireworks included a season-high nine-run third inning that began with Nick Swisher's three-run homer and ended with Mark Teixeira's sixth career grand slam. Swisher later had a two-run single for a five-RBI night.

Francisco Cervelli was 3-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored and Swisher also had three hits to lead a 17-hit attack. The A's had 13 hits.

Joe Girardi had hoped to see marked improvement from Hughes in his third start since returning from a rehab stint designed to restore life to his right arm. "I didn't think his curve was as sharp as it has been and I didn't think his location was good with the fastball,'' Girardi said. "Those are the two biggest components.''

The manager tried to let Hughes complete five innings for the victory, but it was impossible when -- with the Yankees leading 14-5 -- he faced four batters in the fifth and got only one out while loading the bases. Hector Noesi (2-0) came on to pitch 32/3 innings of scoreless ball and get the win, although the first batter he faced, Jemile Weeks, singled to drive in two runs that were charged to Hughes.

"It was a rough one,'' said Hughes, whose ERA rose to 9.47. "Fortunately, we swung the bats really well, so we were able to win the game. But on a personal level, I really would have liked to make some strides from last start, and I didn't do that . . . I really don't know why. Fastball command was an issue for sure.''

Luckily for Hughes, A's starter Trevor Cahill (8-9) came apart at the seams in the second and third innings and reliever Michael Wuertz only fanned the flames as the Yankees built a 14-2 lead.

Six of the Yankees' first seven batters reached base in their five-run second. The big hit was a bases-loaded single by Derek Jeter that drove in two runs. It was his 3,011th hit, moving him past former teammate Wade Boggs into 25th place on the all-time list (Jeter added another single in the fourth).

Cahill opened the third by walking Teixeira and giving up a double to Robinson Cano before Swisher hit his 11th home run into the Yankees' bullpen. Cahill then yielded singles to Jorge Posada and Eduardo Nuñez before being replaced by Wuertz, who gave up a single by Cervelli that loaded the bases.

One out later, Wuertz walked Jeter and Curtis Granderson to plate two more runs. Teixeira then hammered his grand slam into the rightfield seats, tying Granderson for the team lead with 26 homers.

Hughes steadied himself in the top of the third with a seven-pitch inning, but he endured a long wait while the Yankees scored nine runs. "The inning we scored nine, I played catch in the tunnel and got some iced towels and as much Gatorade as I could,'' he said.

The A's scored three runs in the fourth, including a two-run homer by Cliff Pennington. Then came the bad start in the top of the fifth that led to an early -- if somewhat welcome -- shower on a hot night.

Hughes said he's trying not to compare this season to last year, when he won 18 games, but he's clearly searching. "I know what I have to do to be successful, and that's throw a lot of strikes and be aggressive,'' he said. "I was probably doing a little too much nibbling tonight. When I got ahead in counts, I wasn't able to put guys away. That was the issue.

"It's one start. I'll throw it away and get back to work.''