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NEW YORK -- If the pitching-depleted New York Yankees plan to make a second-half charge, they will need several specific contributions the rest of the way: Big hits from Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran. Steady starts from David Phelps and a makeshift rotation. Maybe a little more punch from No. 3 batter Jacoby Ellsbury. First game after the All-Star break? Check, check, check. Ellsbury hit a two-run homer, Phelps pitched into the seventh inning, and the Yankees beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 on Friday night. "Big win for us to start the second half," Ellsbury said. "You always want to play well at home. You should play well at home. I think were going to." McCann and Beltran had two-out RBIs for the Yankees (48-47), who began a 10-game homestand by winning the opener of an interleague series against a National League contender. New York, with a major league-high 40 home games after the break, snapped a five-game losing streak at Yankee Stadium and improved to 19-23 in its ballpark. All-Star reliever Dellin Betances struck out three in 1 2-3 perfect innings, and David Robertson worked a one-hit ninth for his 24th save in 26 chances. "A week off always helps," Betances said. "I just felt like maybe I had a little more power." Phelps (4-4) gave up three runs -- two earned -- in 6 1-3 innings against a lineup missing injured thumpers Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips. The right-hander struck out seven and walked one for his first win since June 19 against Toronto, which preceded four straight no-decisions. Phelps is 3-0 in seven outings since a four-game skid, and he has yielded two earned runs or fewer in six of those seven starts. "Regardless of what the rotation looks like, I pride myself on being consistent," he said. "Thats one thing Ive always strived for in the big leagues and even in the minor leagues. When our rotation does take hits, I kind of put (it) on myself to step up." It was the kind of effort New York needs from the unheralded fill-ins in its injury-ravaged rotation. Before the game, general manager Brian Cashman announced that left-hander CC Sabathia is scheduled for surgery on his right knee Wednesday -- ending any hope of him returning this year. "We need everybody to step up," Ellsbury said. Brayan Pena, subbing for Votto at first base, homered twice for the Reds. Mike Leake (7-8) allowed four runs and eight hits in seven innings. "It was not as sharp as he has been, but he competed well and gave us a chance," manager Bryan Price said. "We just caught a guy who was a little bit better today." With the score tied 2-all, Derek Jeter singled to start the fifth, and Ellsbury lined a 1-1 pitch to the short porch in right field for his seventh home run. "It was a cutter that backed up, but it was still decent location," Leake said. "He was able to drop his hands and hurt me." Brett Gardner was hit on the left foot by Leakes third pitch. Shaken up a bit, he was checked by manager Joe Girardi and a trainer before remaining in the game. Gardner stole second and scored on McCanns two-out double. McCann is 16 for 45 (.356) in his last 11 games, raising his batting average 19 points to .239. "Ive been feeling pretty good at the plate the last 10-12 games, so hopefully I can keep that up and drive in some runs," he said. Jeters leadoff single in the third deflected off third baseman Todd Frazier. Ellsbury also singled before Beltran, just activated from the seven-day concussion list, came through with a two-out single. Pena connected off Phelps to start the third and seventh for his first multihomer game. Cincinnati tied it at 2 in the fourth, capitalizing on errors by Brian Roberts at second base and Jeter at shortstop. Devin Mesoraco had an RBI grounder, but Phelps prevented further damage. "Hes been doing great," Betances said. "Hes given us a chance to win every time he goes out. Hes done an awesome job, and today was a great win -- a great team win." NOTES: Cincinnati will start All-Star pitchers in the final two games of the series. RHP Alfredo Simon (12-3, 2.70 ERA) goes Saturday, when RHP Brandon McCarthy makes his home debut for the Yankees. RHP Johnny Cueto (10-6, 2.13) faces New York RHP Hiroki Kuroda (6-6, 4.10) on Sunday. ... Jeter made his 2,610th career start at shortstop, passing Omar Vizquel for the most in major league history. ... The Yankees announced they will honour Jeter during a ceremony before their Sept. 7 home game against Kansas City. Jeter is retiring after this season. ... Beltran also beat the shift with a check-swing double down the third-base line. Gerrit Cole Jersey .J. -- Rampage Jackson scowled, howled, then bellowed to the crowd: "Im back! Im back!" With rebuilt knees and a new promotion, Jackson might have one more act left in MMA. Jeff Bagwell Jersey . The Kelowna, B.C. rink made the announcement on their facebook page on Thursday night. http://www.baseballastrosproshop.com/robinson-chirinos-astros-jersey/ . -- Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Sidney Rice tweeted an apparent goodbye after a report about his pending release. Jake Marisnick Jersey . Though the 26-year-old said he was able to participate, coach Dwane Casey kept Johnson out as a precaution. Houston Astros Jerseys . "Last year didnt go the way we wanted it to, but we need to look at what went well and what didnt go so well. Hopefully this year we will be better," Brendan Gallagher said after practice. This year, the Canadiens have a little more depth to work with by adding players like Daniel Briere, Dale Weise, Mike Weaver, Douglas Murray and arguably, the biggest addition to this playoff roster, Thomas Vanek, who the Canadiens were able to land at the trade deadline.DENVER -- Early on, Stephen Strasburg didnt have his best stuff and yet the powerful right-hander tried to bear down to keep his team close. Almost paid off, too. The Washington Nationals loaded the bases in the ninth before falling 6-4 to Jorge De La Rosa and the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. Strasburg (7-8) settled in after a shaky start, giving up four runs -- three of which were in the first -- and nine hits over 5 1-3 innings. "Giving up three runs early, I couldve easily shut it down," Strasburg said. "I didnt want to do that. I wanted to keep it as close as possible. Give the guys a chance to come back -- anything can happen here." And almost did. Closer LaTroy Hawkins got the first two outs in the ninth, before allowing RBI singles to Jayson Werth and Anthony Rendon to make it a 6-4 game. With the bases loaded, Hawkins struck out Ian Desmond to end the rally. "You have to tip your cap sometimes. He did a good job," Desmond said. "He made some pitches on me. "We did a good job battling back right there. We kept on grinding away. Ill take us in that situation a lot of times." Denard Span had four hits for the Nationals, who finished the season series 5-1 against Colorado. He was one of the few to have success against De La Rosa, who gave the Rockies a badly needed boost as they snapped a seven-game skid. "Jorge, another great outing. He did it again," manager Walt Weiss said. "Were scuffling like crazy and he takes the ball and gives us a great performance and wins the game." The Rockies tried a little bit of everything to break out of their funk. They wore their socks high and even engaged in a pregame staring contest. Turns out, the best cure for their slump was simply the left arm of De La Rosa. De La Rosa (11-6) struck out a season-high 11 as he pitched efficiently into the eighth inning. He kept the Nationals guessing by effectively mixing in a changeup with his 89-mph cutter. "All my pitches were working really good today," said De La Rosa, who allowed two runs -- one earned -- before being lifted for a reliever with one out in the eighth.dddddddddddd"My command of all my pitches was really good today." The Rockies decided as a team to wear their socks high, just to try something new. Even Weiss followed the trend. This helped ease the tension, too: Prior to the first pitch, Rockies outfielder Brandon Barnes and Nationals reliever Aaron Barrett engaged in quite a stare-down, with both players standing near the dugout holding their hats over their chest to see who would blink first. After several minutes, Barnes finally gestured toward Barrett that they settle it with a game of rock-paper-scissor. Right after De La Rosas warmup pitches, home plate umpire Paul Emmel told Barnes go into the dugout, with Barrett throwing his hands up in triumph. "Well do any stare-down to win games, for sure," joked Nolan Arenado. Once again, De La Rosa mastered a park that typically isnt friendly to pitchers. Hes 42-14 lifetime at Coors Field. "This is the perfect park for me," he said. Usually, its the hitters saying that. De La Rosa had his pitches dancing all day. He struck out Bryce Harper three times. The Nationals were just 1 of 14 with runners in scoring position off De La Rosa. "He knows how to pitch here," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "Hes got a surprising fast ball when he needs it, but he relies on his changeup a lot. Thats a great strategy here. "Hes a good pitcher. He pitches well." The Nationals were without infielder Ryan Zimmerman, who went on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a strained right hamstring. "Its a pretty substantial strain of the hamstring," Williams said. "You never know how its going to react, so well just take it day by day. Its going to be a couple of weeks at least. Well see where he is at the end of that and go from there. He pulled it good." NOTES: Werth wasnt in the starting lineup because of a tender right knee. ... The Nationals are off Thursday before opening a three-game series in Cincinnati. ' ' '