The New York Yankees provided starting pitcher CC Sabathia with a five-run lead in the first inning before he even took the mound, and the big lefty limited the Baltimore Orioles to two runs over the next eight innings in a 13-2 rout last night at Camden Yards.

Nick Swisher drove in four runs with a double in the first inning and a single in the fifth to lead the Yanks, with Mark Teixeira adding three more RBIs. Teixeira filled the designated hitter spot last night, as Jorge Posada started at first base for the first time this season. Posada drew two walks and went 1-3 with a run-scoring double.

New York has won three straight after losing six in a row. The team returns to the Bronx today to face the New York Mets in three games this weekend.

Amauri Sanit was called upon to pitch the ninth inning for the Yankees and allowed two Orioles to score before hitting first baseman Brandon Snyder with a pitch then retiring three in a row to end the game. Sanit's plunk of Snyder was the last of three incidents of batters hit by pitches. The first saw Robinson Cano beaned in the thigh by Brad Bergerson in the first inning after the Yanks had tagged him with two early runs. Sabathia retaliated by hitting Nick Markakis in the back with a pitch in the next inning, and the umpire warned both sides that another intentional beaning would lead to ejections.

Yankees outfielder Chris Dickerson was hit in the head by a fastball from Mike Gonzalez when the two teams met the night before.

The game was delayed 48 minutes due to rain.