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This kid is gettin' good, and he is only 21...<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Cabrera's big night leads Yanks to win05/25/2006 1:25 AM ETBy Mark Feinsand / MLB.comBOSTON -- When Joe Torre decided to rest Johnny Damon and insert Melky Cabrera into the leadoff spot on Wednesday night, the Yankees manager had no idea what to expect from the 21-year-old outfielder.Cabrera responded with his finest night as a Major Leaguer, driving in four runs in the Yankees' 8-6 win over the Red Sox."I didn't really know, batting him leadoff, emotionally what it was going to do to him," Torre said. "He looked very comfortable there. He's playing at a level he's capable of playing at."The Yankees' offense posted a pair of four-run innings against Matt Clement, giving the still-struggling Randy Johnson a lift after the Big Unit allowed five runs in five innings.After dropping the series opener on Monday, the Yankees took the last two games, pulling within a half-game of first place in the American League East."Any time you come in here, you know it's not going to be by the book," Torre said. "The only thing to expect here is the unexpected. We never backed off."Johnson, who hadn't won since May 4, allowed five runs on nine hits and four walks, striking out eight. The win was the first for the Yankees in Johnson's last four starts."It's funny to say this, but what I'm going through, you take anything for a positive," Johnson said. "The last three innings were positive and it's frustrating that I threw so many pitches in a short period of time and put our bullpen in a bind like that, but the bullpen came through."Manny Ramirez continued to abuse Yankees pitching, going 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and three RBIs. Ramirez finished the series 8-for-12 with four homers and 10 RBIs.Five Yankees relievers held Boston to one run over the final four frames. Kyle Farnsworth struck out David Ortiz with the bases loaded to end the eighth, while Mariano Rivera retired the middle of the order, including Ramirez, in the ninth for his 10th save."Both he and Manny are so imposing," Torre said of Ortiz. "Farnsworth kept it together and made a [heck]of a pitch to strike him out."Ramirez, who sparked some controversy on Tuesday after admiring his home run against Scott Proctor, gave the Red Sox a 2-0 lead in the first with his 10th homer of the season, a two-run blast over the Green Monster.Ramirez threw his bat, put his head down and started running, not breaking stride until he crossed home plate.The Yankees answered in the second against Clement, scoring four runs on three hits, two walks and a hit batsman, all coming with two outs. Cabrera, batting leadoff for the first time in his career, had the big hit of the inning, singling in two runs."I was surprised when I saw my name in the leadoff spot," Cabrera said, with teammate Miguel Cairo serving as a translator. "I feel more confident because I'm playing more. I feel comfortable."Johnson didn't take long to give the lead back, as Kevin Youkilis blasted a two-run homer, sending a 3-2 slider into the Monster seats. That at-bat seemed to be the one that irked Johnson the most."I can't pinpoint one thing expect for making a bad pitch to Youkilis," Johnson said. "I had two outs and I had him 0-2 and he worked the count full, which is good on his part, and then I gave up a home run. The Manny home run, I made a bad pitch and that's what's going to happen."Ramirez opened the third with a leadoff double, then Jason Varitek singled to right. Third base coach DeMarlo Hale put up the stop sign for Ramirez, who ran right through it, scoring to give the Sox a 5-4 lead.Johnson threw his first scoreless inning in the fourth, retiring the top of the lineup in order. The Yankees rewarded him with a four-run outburst in the fifth, with Cabrera again providing a two-run single, as the Yankees took an 8-5 lead."It's awesome to see a young kid go out and play with that kind of poise," said Alex Rodriguez.Johnson left the game after five innings, turning things over to the bullpen. Wednesday marked the sixth straight start in which Johnson has allowed four or more runs, though his eight strikeouts tied a season high after he went eight starts in a row without punching out more than five."How much worse can it get?" Johnson said. "I'm not going to dwell on things. Everyone in that clubhouse knows that I'm trying, and I know I'm trying and eventually it's going to turn around because I'm pitching well at times, but I'm just not pitching as well from start to finish and that's what I'm searching for.""We know Randy is going to get better," Torre said. "We're certainly fortunate when he pitches five innings and gives up five runs and we win."Scott Erickson pitched a scoreless sixth, while Mike Myers started the seventh by striking out Ortiz.Proctor came in for a rematch with Ramirez, and for the second night in a row, Ramirez won, crushing the first pitch over the Monster for his second homer of the game. Again, Ramirez made sure not to showboat, running around the bases without incident.Proctor got the next two outs in the seventh, which impressed Torre."It's one run," Torre said. "What told me something about Proctor was the rest of the inning. The next two outs were the most important thing."Farnsworth loaded the bases in the eighth with a two-out walk to Mark Loretta, but Ortiz, who finished the series just 2-for-13, looked at an 86-mph slider for a called third strike."He lives for those situations and I live for those situations, too," Farnsworth said. "I just tried to stay aggressive like I was the whole inning and tried to make my pitches, and it worked."For Cabrera's big night to come at Fenway Park had to be twice as sweet, as it was here that he struggled so badly in his brief stint with the Bombers last summer."This time is a different opportunity," Cabrera said. "I'm feeling more comfortable, and doing it here is even better.""He doesn't seem to be overwhelmed being with all these big-league ballplayers," Damon said. "I like what I see. He's going to pay big dividends for us. I'm glad he was able to hit leadoff and drive in four runs for us. He's been a great find. He's been pretty awesome so far."</div>
