CC Returns To Cleveland, Picks Up A Win

(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
NYY	0	2	0	5	0	1	0	0	2		10	13	0
CLE	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	2		5	7	2

Winning pitcher - CC Sabathia (5-3)
Losing pitcher - Fausto Carmona (2-5)

In his first start in Cleveland since being traded to the Brewers last year CC Sabathia had a solid game. In seven innings the big left-hander allowed three runs on five hits, walked three, and struck out eight. He had a no-hitter in the fourth until Shin-Soo Choo hit a ball off CC's hand and past Robinson Cano for the first hit for the Tribe. CC wasn't really the same after that and got into several jams, but only allowed the three runs and held the 7-0 lead the Yankees gave him. He threw 113 pitches, 70 for strikes, and had great stuff throughout. His fastball was sitting at 94-96 mph for most of the night, and he topped out at 97 several times. He also had great movement on his slider and curveball. Since his rocky start CC has rebounded and been every bit the ace the Yankees thought they were signing. In his last five starts he's 4-0, with a 2.08 ERA.

The Yanks got on the board in the second with two solo homers, one off the bat of Jorge Posada, his sixth of the year, and the other off the bad of the ice cold Nick Swisher. It was Swisher's 10th homer of the year.

They put the game away with a five-run fourth. With one out Hideki Matsui doubled, Swisher walked, and Brett Gardner reached on an error and that Yanks had the bases loaded. Derek Jeter singled to score both Matsui and Swisher. Johnny Damon made it 5-0 Yankees with an RBI single. Three batters later Robinson Cano capped off the rally with a two-run single.

The Yankees scored another run in the sixth when Damon drove in a run with an RBI ground out. And the final two Yankees runs came in the top of the ninth, the first coming on an RBI single by Cano and the second on an RBI double by Matsui, his third hit of the day.

David Robertson was very good out of the pen. He pitched one inning and retired the only three batters he faced, one via the strike out. He threw 14 pitches, nine of them were strikes. The one negative of the night was the performance by Jose Veras. He allowed two runs on two hits, inclduing a homer, in the bottom of the ninth before he was finally able to finish off the game. He threw 23 pitches, 14 for strikes, but, like he's been doing, he kept falling behind in the count and it cost him. It's just painful to watch this guy pitch right now.

Earlier in the day the Red Sox lost to the Blue Jays in Toronto, so that means the Yankees are now 1.5 games ahead of both the Sox and Jays for first place in the AL East. Phil Hughes looks to build off of his great start in Texas when he takes the mound tomorrow afternoon in Cleveland. He will be facing former Yankees (sort of) Carl Pavano. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.

AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Jeter, SS 5 0 2 2 0 2 0 .302 Damon, LF 5 1 1 2 0 0 1 .296 Teixeira, 1B 5 2 2 0 0 0 3 .276 Rodriguez, A, 3B 3 0 1 0 2 0 2 .260 Pena, 3B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .246 Cano, 2B 5 1 2 3 0 1 3 .320 Posada, C 5 1 1 1 0 0 1 .318 Matsui, DH 5 1 3 1 0 0 0 .262 1-Berroa, PR-DH 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167 Swisher, RF 4 2 1 1 1 1 2 .227 Gardner, CF 3 2 0 0 1 1 0 .271 Totals 40 10 13 10 4 5 12 1-Ran for Matsui in the 9th. BATTING 2B: Matsui 2 (11, Carmona, Ohka), Teixeira (11, Ohka). HR: Posada (6, 2nd inning off Carmona, 0 on, 0 out), Swisher (10, 2nd inning off Carmona, 0 on, 1 out). TB: Jeter 2; Damon; Teixeira 3; Rodriguez, A; Cano 2; Posada 4; Matsui 5; Swisher 4. RBI: Posada (21), Swisher (29), Jeter 2 (25), Damon 2 (31), Cano 3 (31), Matsui (19). 2-out RBI: Cano 2; Matsui. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Cano; Rodriguez, A; Swisher. Team RISP: 5-for-14. Team LOB: 7. FIELDING DP: 2 (Rodriguez, A-Cano-Teixeira, Cano-Jeter-Teixeira).

	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Sabathia (W, 5-3)	7.0	5	3	3	3	8	1	3.46
Robertson	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2.45
Veras	1.0	2	2	2	0	1	1	6.97

INDIANS STATS

PLAYER OF THE GAME: CC Sabathia (W, 7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 8 K)

HONORABLE MENTION: Hideki Matsui (3-for-5, 2B, RBI, R)

Yankees @ Indians
Game Time: 1:05 p.m. | TV/Radio: YES, TBS, WCBS 880
RHP Phil Hughes (3-2, 5.16 ERA) vs. RHP Carl Pavano (4-4, 6.10 ERA)