Nick Swisher hit a grand slam off Ryan Dempster and drove in five runs, Derek Lowe closed with four shutout innings in his Yankees debut and New York beat the Texas Rangers 8-2 Monday night.

David Phelps, starting in place of injured ace CC Sabathia, picked off two runners and pitched a career-high five innings for the win.

In the opener of a four-game series between the teams with the AL's best records, the Yankees powered their way to a sixth straight victory over Texas in the Bronx.

Swisher's second slam this season was his 200th career homer. Eric Chavez also homered off Dempster (1-1), the Rangers' recent acquisition.