Yankees Power Past White Sox 8-1

NEW YORK (AP) _ On another night of record power, A-Rod was still absent. <br/><br/>Alex Rodriguez remained stuck at 499 career homers, going 0-for-4 in the New York Yankees' 8-1 win over the Chicago

Wednesday, August 1st 2007, 9:30 pm

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) _ On another night of record power, A-Rod was still absent.

Alex Rodriguez remained stuck at 499 career homers, going 0-for-4 in the New York Yankees' 8-1 win over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night and matching the longest hitless streak of his big league career at 21 at-bats.

Jorge Posada homered twice, and Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano and Shelley Duncan also connected to give the Yankees 13 home runs in two games. That tied the team record for a two-game span set in a doubleheader at the Philadelphia Athletics on June 28, 1939.

Rodriguez is hitless since he went deep at Kansas City last Wednesday, dropping his season average to .295.

He flied out to left twice and grounded out to shortstop before his final at-bat in the seventh. He got a full-count pitch from reliever Ryan Bukvich and bounced out to third as camera flashes throughout the stands lit up Yankee Stadium.

Scott Podsednik hit an RBI triple and A.J. Pierzynski went 2-for-4 for Chicago, which has lost three straight. The White Sox have scored just seven runs in their last four games.

Andy Pettitte (7-7) improved to 3-1 in his last six starts, allowing one run and six hits in seven innings as New York won its third straight.

Wilson Betemit, acquired from Los Angeles on Tuesday, made his Yankees debut when he entered the game in the ninth.

Posada's two-run drive off John Danks (7-7) in the second put the Yankees ahead, and Cano led off the fourth with his 10th of the season to extend the lead to 4-1.

After Cano's drive to right field, Andy Phillips reached on an error by third baseman Josh Fields, and Duncan hit a 1-0 pitch over the wall in left field. It was his fourth homer in his last three games in the Bronx.

The sellout crowd cheered wildly and chanted ``Shelley! Shelley!'' to try to get Duncan to come out for a curtain call but the rookie stayed in the dugout. Manager Joe Torre took the blame for Duncan acknowledging the crowd after his homer Tuesday night _ when the applause was in anticipation of Rodriguez going for his 500th homer.

``I was completely oblivious to Alex,'' a smiling Torre said before the game.

Posada connected again in the eighth for his first multihomer game this season and the 14th of his career. Charlie Haeger then hit Cano with a pitch and was immediately ejected by plate umpire Tom Hallion.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, who was thrown out in the first inning Tuesday night, came out to talk to Hallion but returned to the dugout after a short argument.

Danks gave up six runs and six hits in four innings for the White Sox, who used seven pitchers.

Notes: Rodriguez also had an 0-for-21 stretch from June 10-18, 2002, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. ... Chicago has decided to skip Jose Contreras' turn in the rotation and start Gavin Floyd against Detroit on Sunday. Contreras allowed seven runs and eight hits in 2 2-3 innings against the Yankees on Tuesday night, and has lost his last seven starts. ... The Yankees activated RHP Jeff Karstens from the DL list and optioned INF Chris Basak to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.