Vazquez keeps White Sox bats on ice Four singles not enough to back gutty effort by Schoeneweis

YANKEes 3, White sox 1

NEW YORK -- The consolation afterward was that this could havebeen so much worse than the 3-1 final score.

When the home opener at Yankee Stadium started, Scott Schoeneweiswas fighting through rust and the White Sox were fighting forbaserunners.

The Sox' fourth starter -- turned No. 3 for matchup reasons --eventually found the form he needed against the Yankees' All-Starlineup, it's just that the offensive support never followed in theSox' defeat.

The problem for the Sox didn't end up being the Derek Jeter-Bernie Williams-Alex Rodriguez-Jason Giambi-Gary Sheffield-JorgePosada-Hideki Matsui afternoonlong intimidation procession. TheYankee that did the most damage was new starter Javier Vazquez, aright-hander who new Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was quite familiarwith.

Vazquez and Guillen spent time together when Guillen was a third-base coach with the Montreal Expos from 2002-03.

"That's the Vazquez I know," Guillen said. "I saw this kid throweven better than that. He threw the ball real well. He hit his spots,threw breaking balls any pitch in the count, held the runners. [You]tip your hat to him, he pitched a great game. So did my guy."

It seemed far from likely that Schoeneweis had the chance to haveany part in a pitchers' duel. After retiring Jeter in the firstinning, he gave up an infield single to Williams and walks toRodriguez and Giambi.

That the Yankees scored only two runs out of the mess might havebeen Schoeneweis' best work of the afternoon. Sheffield brought homethe first run on a 20-foot single up the third-base line, and Posadabrought home the other on a sacrifice fly to deep right.

Schoeneweis managed to load the bases again in the second on a two-out single and back-to-back walks, but got out of that jam byretiring Giambi on a fly ball to right. Starting with Giambi, heretired 10 of the next 11 batters before a Posada solo home run inthe sixth. Schoeneweis also was helped by two diving stops at thirdbase by Joe Crede in the first two innings.

"I just got outpitched, that's the bottom line," said Schoeneweis(0-1), who gave up seven hits in six innings to go along with threeruns and four walks. "We played phenomenal defense today behind me.If we play defense like that all year, and I can battle like that allyear long, we're gonna win a lot of games. I was a littleoverexcited. I wish I could have had those first two innings back."

Most of Schoeneweis' anxiety resulted from not having started amajor-league game since June 2002 when he was with the AnaheimAngels. He entered with 98 consecutive relief appearances.

"I've been really thrilled that I have this opportunity again,"said Schoeneweis, who struggled this spring with an ERA over 9.00."It's something that I hoped from the moment I moved to the bullpen.I was just really excited -- too excited. Now I got that under mybelt and I've had a start and I'll move on."

The Sox, meanwhile, had been fighting for anything they could getoff of Vazquez. Their only run came on a two-out bloop single downthe left-field line by Paul Konerko in the fourth inning that allowedFrank Thomas to score from second and cut the Yankees' lead to 2-1.

After Konerko's single, Vazquez retired 13 consecutive battersbefore turning the game over to closer Mariano Rivera in the ninth.Jose Valentin hit a leadoff single, but Magglio Ordonez hit into aforce play, Thomas popped up and Carlos Lee grounded out to short toend it.

"I love my team," Guillen said. "I came back to the clubhouse andsaid the same things. Keep playing, there is nothing to worry about.I hate to lose to anybody, but stay positive and play the game theway it should be played."'