Cabrera Beats Yankees Before Anticipated Suspension

(AP) Kennedy wins Padres debut, 6-3 over Yankees
By BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer
SAN DIEGO
Ian Kennedy won his San Diego debut, his first victory in more than two months, and Everth Cabrera, facing a 50-game suspension in baseball’s latest drug scandal, had two hits and two RBIS as the Padres beat the New York Yankees 6-3 on Sunday.

The Padres took two of three from the Yankees, who got only 2 2-3 innings out of Phil Hughes.

Kennedy was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. He was 0-5 with a 5.82 ERA in his last 10 starts with Arizona He hadn’t won since June 1 at the Chicago Cubs.

Cabrera, the Padres’ All-Star shortstop, is among 14 players facing discipline in the Biogenesis of America anti-aging clinic. Major League Baseball appears poised to levy suspensions Monday.

Yankees All-Star third baseman Alex Rodriguez is another of the players set to face discipline. Major League Baseball has informed New York that Rodriguez will be suspended Monday in the Biogenesis drug case, but can play while he appeals the penalty, a person familiar with deliberations told The Associated Press on Sunday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement was authorized.

Rodriguez is set to make his season debut when the Yankees play the Chicago White Sox.

Cabrera singled in two runs with two outs in the three-run second before getting thrown out trying to steal second. He leads the NL and is second in the majors with 37 steals.

He doubled leading off the fourth, advanced on Alexi Amarista’s groundout and scored on Chase Headley’s single to give the Padres a 6-0 lead.

Kennedy (4-8) was taken by the Yankees in the first round of the June 2006 draft. He was traded to Arizona in December 2009.

Kennedy faltered in the sixth, allowing consecutive two-out walks to Robinson Cano and Alfonso Soriano followed by RBI singles by Curtis Granderson and Lyle Overbay.

That was it for Kennedy, who allowed two runs and four hits in 5 2-3 innings, struck out six and walked four.

Huston Street pitched the ninth for his 21st save in 22 chances.

Yankees rookie catcher Austin Romine hit his first career homer, a solo shot into the Padres’ bullpen beyond the center field fence off Dale Thayer with one out in the seventh.

Hughes (4-10) had his second-shortest outing of the season, allowing five runs and six hits while striking out one and walking one.

The Southern California native got through the first inning unscathed but was roughed up in the second and third innings. He allowed singles to Will Venable and Chris Denorfia opening the second before Mark Kotsay hit a sacrifice fly. He then walked Nick Hundley before Kennedy sacrificed ahead of Cabrera’s two-run single.

Hughes again put on the first two batters in the third, allowing a single to Amarista and walking Headley, and again, both scored. Denorfia hit a sacrifice fly and Kotsay hit an RBI single with two outs.

The Yankees are a season-worse 9 1/2 games out of first place in the AL East and 4 1/2 out in the race for the second wild-card spot.

NOTES: Yankees manager Joe Girardi said SS Derek Jeter had an MRI on his sore right calf Saturday night and that the team was awaiting results. …Asked if there’s a chance Jeter will go back on the disabled list, Girardi said, “It’s always a possibility. It’s not what we want to do. My hope is to get him in the lineup tomorrow but, I mean, I wouldn’t say, 100 percent no, he wouldn’t be on it.” … The Yankees open a three-game series at the Chicago White Sox on Monday night, with LHP Andy Pettitte (7-8, 4.28) scheduled to oppose LHP Jose Quintana (5-3, 3.62).