Winn adjusting to reserve role

Randy Winn stared at the clubhouse ceiling and thought for a moment. Finally, after a brief pause, he replied.

"Was it off Max Scherzer?"

The Yankees outfielder doesn't remember much about his previous home run - not the date, where the ball landed, or how many at-bats had passed since then. But that long ball matters little after last night.

Winn's three-run, fourth-inning homer off Jeremy Guthrie not only propelled the Yankees to a 4-1 victory over Baltimore at the Stadium last night, but also snapped his 491 at-bat homerless streak.

"I'm really, really not a home run hitter," said Winn, whose two-run homer off Scherzer on April 25, 2009, helped the San Francisco Giants to a 5-3 victory in Arizona. "So I hit it and just put my head down and start running."

He has spent much of his time in pinstripes in the background, overshadowed by the Yankees' big-name centerfield acquisition, Curtis Granderson, and the team's reliable speedster Brett Gardner. But the always reserved, never-giddy Winn said he hasn't been frustrated by his diminished and uncertain role.

"When we broke camp and I wasn't a starter, that's the way it goes," he said. "You prepare yourself to come off the bench. Curtis has been playing great; he hit some home runs early. I thought he's been hitting the ball well, just a lot of lineouts. [Nick] Swisher's been playing well and Marcus [Thames] has been killing lefties. When you get in there, you're just ready to help."

Now that Granderson is on the 15-day disabled list with a left groin strain, Girardi said Winn - batting .125 - will get more opportunities in the outfield and at the plate.

But even though Winn's home run was the difference against the Orioles last night, he seemed rather unfazed by his game-changing hit and the horde of cameras eagerly awaiting his postgame reaction.

"I've played this game for a long time, there are always ups and downs," said Winn, who has played for four teams in his 13 seasons. "You never want to get too high or too low. Mentally, you have to try to stay on an even keel."

His teammates did most of the celebrating, high-fiving and hugging Winn after he completed his trip around the bases.

"We were just happy for him to get a big hit," said Thames, who has been splitting time in leftfield with Winn. "This is his first year of not playing every day and it's tough. I told him it was going to come, just keep working at it. So I was really happy for him because he needed that and the team needed it, too.''