Major League Baseball

Phillies can't shake slump vs. Yankees

Published Jun. 16, 2010 4:29 a.m. ET

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Even after adding Roy Halladay, the Philadelphia Phillies can't seem to stop that New York Yankees lineup.

Nick Swisher and the Yankees handed Halladay a rare thumping, beating Philadelphia and its new ace 8-3 Tuesday night in a World Series rematch.

"We had a great approach,'' Swisher said. "We did a good job of getting him up in the zone and getting him on the plate.''

Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson and Swisher all homered off Halladay to build a comfortable cushion for CC Sabathia in a marquee pitching matchup that fizzled early.

Brett Gardner laced a two-run triple in the second inning and the Yankees, still missing injured slugger Alex Rodriguez (groin), won their ninth straight home game - the club's best streak in its second-year ballpark.

"We've got a lot of depth from top to bottom,'' Gardner said. "No matter the lineup we throw out there and no matter who's on the mound for us, we feel like we have the best team.''

Coming off a three-game sweep of Houston, New York, which began the day tied with Tampa Bay for the AL East lead, moved a season-best 18 games over .500 at 41-23 with its seventh victory in eight games.

This one came against the slumping Phillies, the two-time defending NL champions who were beaten in six games by the Yankees during last year's World Series. Philadelphia responded by trading for Halladay in December, putting one of baseball's best arms at the top of its rotation.

The 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner with Toronto, Halladay has pitched extremely well for his new team — even tossing a perfect game. But the Phillies are stuck in a surprising slide anyway.

Missing star shortstop Jimmy Rollins and a pair of key pitchers to injuries, they've dropped 15 of 21 while falling to third place in the NL East. The last time the Phillies were in New York, they were shut out in three straight games by the Mets from May 25-27.

"Everybody's concerned. You have to be. But you can't let that affect how you play going forward,'' Halladay said.

Sabathia (7-3) became the latest pitcher to stifle Philadelphia's previously powerful lineup. He went seven innings, allowing five hits and striking out seven while winning his third consecutive start. It was his first victory against a team other than Baltimore since he beat Texas on April 16.

The big left-hander is 4-0 against the last-place Orioles this season and 3-3 against everyone else. But he's 9-0 in his past 13 starts at Yankee Stadium since last year's All-Star break.

Making his third start since his perfect game at Florida on May 29, Halladay (8-5) matched a career high by serving up three homers - the same amount he allowed in his first 13 outings with Philadelphia.

"I knew I was missing, and I didn't get away with many of them,'' Halladay said. "It was just one of those games where you feel like you're grinding all the time and it takes a toll on you mentally.''

It was the ninth time Halladay has yielded three homers in a game. The last three, and four of the past five, have come against the Yankees, according to STATS LLC.

"We've faced him a good bit. We know what to expect,'' Gardner said. "He pounds the zone and tonight he left some pitches over the middle of the plate and we were able to take advantage of it.''

Swisher singled in the second, Jorge Posada walked and Gardner drove in both with a line drive that rolled all the way to the wall in right-center.

Granderson homered leading off the third and Robinson Cano doubled with one out. That meant the Yankees hit for the cycle in a span of nine batters against Halladay.

Swisher followed with his 11th home run on a 2-0 pitch, making it 5-0 before a rowdy crowd of 47,135.

"I saw a lot of people leaving in handcuffs today,'' Granderson said.

Philadelphia scored three times in the fourth, then left the bases loaded in the fifth. In the bottom half, Teixeira hit a high fly that landed just beyond the 314-foot sign in the right-field corner for a solo shot.

Halladay allowed six runs and eight hits in six innings, dropping to 2-4 in his last six starts and 18-7 against the Yankees overall. He is 1-2 in matchups with Sabathia, who is 2-1 in those games.

Francisco Cervelli greeted reliever David Herndon with a two-run single in the seventh, making him 6 for 8 with 13 RBIs with the bases loaded this season. All those at-bats have come with two outs.

"I don't know why we're not hitting as well as we can,'' Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "Winning is hard — way harder than people think it is.''

NOTES: Philadelphia flip-flopped starters for the final two games of the series. LHP Jamie Moyer will now pitch Wednesday night instead of Thursday. RHP Kyle Kendrick goes in the finale. ... Yankees RHP Chan Ho Park, who spent last season with the Phillies, appreciated receiving his 2009 NL championship ring from Philadelphia general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. before the game.

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