WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- The Yankees took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, and they never looked back en route to an 8-5 win over the Indians on Saturday at Chain of Lakes Park. For the Yankees, the big blow in the first came off Hideki Matsui's bat. With two outs and Gary Sheffield on second base, Matsui drove a 3-1 pitch from right-hander Scott Elarton over the right-field wall to stake Chien-Ming Wang with a lead.
In Matsui's next at-bat against Elarton, the Yankees' left-fielder drove another 3-1 pitch over the right-field wall to lead off the fourth. The next batter, Tino Martinez, hit Elarton's 3-2 pitch over the same wall, giving the Yankees their fourth run.
The Indians got on the board in their half of the first. Coco Crisp drew a walk, stolen second, went to third on Wang's wild pitch and scored on Casey Blake's sacrifice fly to right.
Both the Indians and the Yankees scored a run in the fifth. The Tribe scored off left-hander Alex Graman, who relieved Wang in the bottom of the inning.
Graman allowed a homer to Jeff Liefer, whose drive to right cut the Tribe's deficit to 5-2. But the Indians were never able to erase the big lead the Yankees had built in the early innings.
The loss extends Cleveland's losing streak to four.