NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez homered twice to propel the New York Yankees to a 13-6 thumping of the Pirates this afternoon, as well as a three-game sweep.

The Pirates finished the road trip 2-4 and fell to a season-low 11 games under .500 at 26-37.

And that started, on this day, when they got very little out of Shawn Chacon, who needed 96 pitches to last 3 1/3 innings and was charged with seven runs on eight hits and three walks.

New York jumped on Chacon for three runs in the first inning, highlighted by RBI doubles from Bobby Abreu and Hideki Matsui.

The Pirates cut that lead to 3-2 in their next at-bat on Jose Castillo's two-run shot up the middle off an 0-2 curveball from Yankees starter Tyler Clippard.

The Yankees countered with a two-run third. With bases loaded and one out, Melky Cabrera's high chopper barely eluded Chacon for an infield single. Miguel Cairo's sacrifice fly brought another, and it was 5-2.

Again, the Pirates bounced right back to go ahead, 6-5. With bases loaded, Chris Duffy brought home two with a double down the right-field line. And Jose Bautista brought two more with a single off the left-field fence.

That chased the rookie Clippard with a line of six runs in 3 2/3 innings.

Chacon's last gasps in the fourth included one-out singles that put men at the corners for Alex Rodriguez. Manager Jim Tracy summoned Josh Sharpless, and Rodriguez drilled his 2-0 sinker for an 8-6 New York lead.

The Pirates had an excellent chance to climb back in the fifth, loading the bases with one out off Sean Henn. But Ryan Doumit, despite seeing a five-pitch walk just before his at-bat, swung through all three pitches he saw. And Castillo swung at his first pitch for an inning-ending forceout.

Reliever Masumi Kuwata, freshly recalled from Class AAA Indianapolis, made his major-league debut in the fifth.

His first inning was fine, 1-2-3 on 11 pitches, thanks in large part to a sensational backhand play at shortstop by Castillo.

Kuwata retired the first two batters of the sixth, too, but Abreu worked a seven-pitch walk, and Rodriguez lofted a first-pitch changeup over the right-field fence for his second home run of the game and 24th of the season , most in Major League Baseball. He needed 29 pitches to get out of that inning.

Kuwata's inaugural line was two runs on one hit and two walks.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Kuwata, at 39 years, 70 days, became the oldest player to make his major-league debut since Sept. 5, 1960, when Diomedes Olivo debuted with the Pirates at age 41.

Also today, Bryan Bullington was pulled after one inning of his start for Class AAA Indianapolis yesterday in Charlotte, N.C., because of what the Pirates described as discomfort in his right shoulder.

Bullington, in his first year back from reconstructive surgery on that shoulder, is an International League-best 9-2 with a 2.83 ERA after being taken out for precautionary reasons. He gave up a run on one hit, two walks and a wild pitch.