Chien-Ming Wang gave up seven runs as the New York Yankees were beaten 7-5 by the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday.
Making his first start since last June after missing the latter half of the season with a foot injury, Wang yielded seven runs and nine hits in 3 2-3 innings.
“It's been so long, I just wanted to win so bad,” Wang, of Taiwan, said through a translator. “Hopefully, I can get my sinker back as soon as possible.”
It was Wang's shortest start since going 2 2-3 innings against Toronto in August 2007. It was also the first time in nine starts since Sept. 15, 2007, in Boston, that Wang lost on the road.
“He never got his sinker going,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “When he doesn't have a sinker, he's going to struggle and that's what happened.”
After losing the first two games of the series by a combined 17-10 score, the Yankees _ who own baseball's highest 2009 payroll at $201 million _ will turn to newcomer A.J. Burnett on Thursday to avoid a three-game sweep against a team that last year lost 93 games and finished in the AL East cellar.
“I don't see any panic here,” left fielder Johnny Damon said. “But right now, I don't think anybody expected us to be in this situation.”
New York's offseason spending spree has yet to provide the desired results. CC Sabathia ($161 million contract) took the loss in the opener, and Mark Teixeira ($180 million) went 1-for-5 Wednesday and is 1-for-9 in two games.
Koji Uehara allowed one run over five innings and Nick Markakis went 3-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs to lead Baltimore.
Uehara, the first Japanese-born pitcher in Orioles history, gave up five hits and a walk before leaving with a 7-1 lead.
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A two-run homer by Derek Jeter got New York to 7-4 in the ninth, and Mark Teixeira greeted George Sherrill with an RBI double to bring the tying run to the plate. Sherrill then retired Hideki Matsui on a popup to earn his first save.
Baltimore sent nine hitters to the plate during a five-run fourth inning that made it 7-1. Markakis then chased Wang with a two-run homer to right.
Notes: Matsui went 0-for-3 against countryman Uehara. ... Adam Jones reached base five straight times to open the season before grounding out in the third. ... Wang was 24-5 in his previous 38 starts. ... Yankees starters in two games have yet to record a strikeout.
