SAN DIEGO -- Mark Teixeira joined the 400-homer club in the eighth inning, then tacked on another blast in the ninth for good measure, as the Yankees powered their way to a 6-3 victory over the Padres on Sunday afternoon at Petco Park.
Didi Gregorius also homered as the Yankees boosted rookie right-hander Chad Green to his first Major League victory. Green allowed only a solo homer to Yangervis Solarte over six innings, striking out a career-high eight batters in his second big league start.
"He was great," Teixeira said. "We needed a big performance today, and Greenie's got big league stuff. He showed it today. He showed his poise and I'm just really impressed with what he did."

After missing three weeks with a strained neck, Padres right-hander Andrew Cashner also looked relatively sharp. He allowed two runs (one earned) while striking out six over six innings.
"All of his stuff was there," said Padres manager Andy Green. "... I thought he was really, really good. That's almost as strong as I've seen him all year. He deserved to win a baseball game today."

Solarte finished the afternoon 4-for-4, falling a triple shy of the first cycle in the history of Petco Park. Alex Dickerson hit a two-run homer in the ninth, but his performance went for naught as Aroldis Chapman shut down the Padres' ninth-inning rally and their big for their first sweep of the season. San Diego is now 3-24 in series finales and just 1-12 in Sunday games.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Milestone Mark: After striking out in his first three at-bats of the afternoon, Teixeira connected against Carlos Villanueva in the eighth inning, lifting a high arcing drive just over the right-field wall for his 400th career home run. Teixeira became the fifth switch-hitter in history to reach the milestone, joining Mickey Mantle (536), Eddie Murray (504), Chipper Jones (468) and teammate Carlos Beltran (411). His 401st homer was a two-run shot in the ninth off Kevin Quackenbush that gave the Yankees a 6-1 lead.
"When you're in the category that Mark's in, you don't have to worry about it for 99 more now," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "It's not like you have to worry about it every day, so I think it's really important." More >

Sol power: Facing his former club, Solarte wasted no time getting the Padres on the board. In his first at-bat, he sent a 2-1 fastball into the left-field seats, tying the game at 1. Solarte, who was dealt to San Diego before the 2014 Trade Deadline in the deal that sent Chase Headley to the Yankees, would match a career-high with his four hits.
"Feeling good physically allows me to ... fight and be able to put up good at-bats," said Solarte, who has been dealing with a bruised left thumb recently. "That's really the most important result of the physical side being taken care of." More >

Green impresses: Green stepped into the Yankees' rotation and delivered a convincing case to stick, striking out eight while limiting San Diego to a run and three hits over six innings. Green had pitched superbly at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he led the International League with a 1.54 ERA. Sunday's effort could put pressure on struggling starters like Nathan Eovaldi and Ivan Nova.
"I always thought I could get out big league hitters, but it's nice to have the reassurance, I guess, especially since I don't have that many innings up here," Andy Green said. "It's nice to get that first [win]." More >

Left hanging: The Padres put the first two men on base against Yankees reliever Dellin Betances in the seventh. But Dickerson bunted into a forceout and Betances struck out Derek Norris and Ryan Schimpf, stranding the potential tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position.
"You typically don't string a whole lot of hits together off Betances," Green said. "We already had a couple of them. You try to play for the tie and the opportunity to take the lead in that situation. We gave ourselves that situation. We just didn't come through."

QUOTABLE
"Our reports obviously failed us a little bit today, because Teixeira got us on two breaking balls. That's a pitch that he hasn't hit very well this year." -- Andy Green
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Teixeira's first home run was projected by Statcast™ to travel 331 feet, the shortest homer at Petco Park this season. His 48-degree launch angle on that same homer was the highest in the Majors this year on a ball that left the yard.

AFTER FURTHER REVIEW
Solarte's second-inning homer bounced off the top of the wall and into the first row of the left-field seats. To ensure the ball wasn't interfered with, the umpires initiated a review, and replays confirmed that the ball left the yard without touching a fan.

In the eighth inning, the Yankees successfully challenged a call that resulted in a hit-by-pitch for Brian McCann, as replay showed that a pitch from Villanueva struck McCann's heel.

WHAT'S NEXT
Yankees: The Yanks will celebrate Independence Day in Chicago on Monday afternoon, sending left-hander CC Sabathia to the mound for a 2:10 p.m. ET contest against the White Sox. New York pushed Sabathia's start back by a day to avoid having him run the bases in a National League park. Right-hander James Shields draws the start for the South Siders.
Padres:Luis Perdomo gets the ball Monday, as the Padres travel to Arizona for the opener of a three-game set with the D-backs. First pitch is slated for 6:10 p.m. PT. The Rule 5 right-hander struggled for much of the season, but was much better in June as his sinker-slider combination developed.
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