Unlikely duo giving Yankees much-needed spark

NEW YORK — Curtis Granderson and Lance Berkman have settled into their pinstripes at a most opportune time.

In an offensive funk during the summer swelter, their bats are heating up as the weather starts to turn colder. The pair have unexpectedly led the Yankees' offense in the opening two games of the AL division series against the Minnesota Twins.

Not Derek Jeter. Not Alex Rodriguez. Not Jorge Posada. Not Robinson Cano.

Granderson and Berkman.

"That will bond you to your teammates really quickly, when you start getting big hits in the playoffs," Berkman said.

After winning two games at Target Field, the defending World Series champions arrived home with a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. Phil Hughes tries to wrap up a sweep today night and put New York into the AL championship series against Texas or Tampa Bay.

Brian Duensing pitches for the Twins.

Granderson and Berkman alone have more big hits than the Twins.

Granderson had a tiebreaking two-run triple in the sixth inning of the opener. He had three hits in the second game, doubling and scoring the tying run, then singling in the final run of New York's 5-2 victory.

Quite a high, especially given that halfway into his first season with the Yankees he was hitting just .225 with 23 RBIs. A strained left going landed him on the disabled list for nearly a month.

Still, the gregarious 29-year-old, acquired from Detroit during the offseason, never altered his effervescent smile. Hitting coach Kevin Long spent eight consecutive cage sessions tinkering with Granderson's swing, and Granderson responded with 25 RBIs from Sept. 1 on, by far his most productive stretch of the season.

Now that he's hitting, Granderson seems to be particularly carefree in his game preparation.

"Just make sure I've got some sugar-free bubble gum. That's it," he said Friday.

Berkman's transition to New York was even harder. A member of the Houston Astros since he reached the major leagues in 1999, the 34-year-old was dealt at the trade deadline on July 31. He hit just .179 with four RBIs during his first month with the Yankees, and spent two weeks on the DL with a sprained right ankle. Long then worked to move him closer to the plate.

A home run off Carl Pavano matched Berkman's regular-season total with the Yankees in what Berkman labeled the worst year of his career.