M-I-E-N-K-LMNOP

or however it's spelled.

Joe Torre finally shakes up the lineup and Doug Mientkiewicz finally swings the bat like a major leaguer. Must have been a full moon last night. And the topper - the bullpen didn't blow Andy Pettitte's lead.

The Yankees took advantage of some shoddy play by Ranger's centerfielder Jerry Hairston Jr., and Alex Rodriguez homered for the first time in 47 at-bats. The Yankees are beginning to salivate when they see the Rangers on the schedule, having now taken 18 of the last 22 meetings.

With the game tied 1-1 in the 3rd, Hairston dropped Hideki Matsui's fly ball, allowing Derek Jeter and A-Rod to score on the play. Jeter's 2nd RBI hit in the 4th increased the lead to 4-1, before the Bombers broke it open with 4 in the 5th. A-Rod's 15th HR, a blast to straight away center, ended a 12 game homerless streak.

Andy Pettitte brought his 'A' game and with the big lead, there was little chance he wouldn't get a 'W' at the end of the night. He scattered 7 hits over 7 innings, walked 2 and struck out 4. Pettitte's ERA now stands at a team best 2.72.

Mientkiewicz had 2 hits on the night plus a sac fly ribbie. He's put together a modest 7 game hitting streak that has seen his average rise to .230. In the 5th inning he showed why the Yankees brought him in, making two spectacular stops at 1st base.

Another Yankee swinging a good bat last night was Robinson Cano. Cano came in just 6 for his last 43, but had a pair of hits, and showed a little more patience at the plate.

Jorge Posada's 2 hits raised his average to .354. You would be hard pressed to find the last time Posada's average was that high in early May.