Five-Run Second Propels Yanks Past Jays

(REUTERS/Fred Thornhill)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
NY Yankees	0	5	0	1	2	0	0	0	0		8	11	2
Toronto	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0		2	7	0

It started off badly. The Yankees had two on and two out in the top of the first, but once again they couldn't pick up the big hit with a runner in scoring position and Jays starter Scott Richmond was able to get out of the inning . Then Andy Pettitte walked two of the first three hitters he faced to put runners on first and second with one out. Alex Rios grounded a ball to third, Alex Rodriguez got the lead runner at third but Mark Teixeira couldn't handle Robinson Cano's short-hop allowing the run to come home. 1-0 Jays. Pettitte then walked Vernon Wells to put two on with two out. Lately, this is the time when a Yankees starter throws a bad pitch and the opposing team ends up putting a four spot on the board. But Pettitte was able to avoid the big inning when he got Scott Rolen to ground one back to the box for the final out of the inning.

Melky Cabrera led off the top of the second with a double. Brett Gardner was then up and I was hoping he'd just move the runner over. I wouldn't even have minded if he bunted the runner over. The way they've been hitting I was expecting a pop out to third. It's safe to say he exceeded my expectations. Richmond threw a 1-1 hanging slider and Gardner hooked it just over the right field wall for a two-run homer giving the Yanks a 2-1 lead. It was Gardner's first major league homer. (For a funny story about the ball click here.) Ramiro Pena then tripled and scored two batters later on a Johnny Damon RBI triple. Teixeira then knocked in Damon with a double to deep center, Teixeira's second hit of the game. Cano finished off the five run outburst with an RBI single.

It was nice to see the Yankees score a few runs without the use of a home run. That trend would continue through the remainder of the game. Damon led the top of the fourth with a double. Nick Swisher then moved him over with a ground ball to first and Teixeira drove him in with a sac fly. The fifth got started with a Cano double. Two batters later he Gardner drove him in with an RBI triple. It was the Yankees third triple of the game, the first time that has happened since April 5, 2003 in Tampa when Alfonso Soriano, Bernie Williams, and Raul Mondesi each tripled off Rays pitching. Francisco Cervelli then drove in Gardner with a two-out single for the Yank eighth run.

After a shaky first Pettitte found the strike zone and pitched a good game the rest of the way. He got into a little trouble in the fourth. He retired the first two batters out fairly easily but then Scott Rolen reached on little grounder half way up the third base line for an infield single and Kevin Millar walked. Rod Barajas then lined an RBI single up the middle to score Rolen. Jose Bautista lined a ball to short, Pena got there but couldn't handle it and the Jays had the bases loaded. It was only 6-2 at this point, and those fears of the big inning started popping up again. But once again Pettitte got out of the jam, this time when he got Marcos Scutaro to fly out to center.

It was a very solid start for Pettitte, two runs (one earned) on five hits, walked four and struck out two, and he threw 106 pitches, 54 of them for strikes. He also picked up his team leading third win of the year.

Alfredo Aceves pitched two very solid innings in relief, allowing just one hit. Jonathan Albaladejo pitched a scoreless, but frustrating bottom of the ninth. After getting Barajas to ground out to third, he walked Bautista and Scutaro, and allowed a single to John McDonald to load the bases. This meant Mariano Rivera had to get up and start warming up with a six run lead. Albaladejo was able to get the next two out, but Mo should never have even had to take his jacket off.

The story of tonight's win was the offensive production from the bottom of the order. The trio of Gardner, Cervelli, and Pena combined to go 4-for-11, with a homer, two triples, and four RBI. It's great to see these guys stepping up with the list of injured Yankees growing everyday.

It was a nice win for the Yankees who now send CC Sabathia to the mound in the rubber game tomorrow night against Brian Tallet and the Jays. CC is coming off his best start of the year, a complete game four-hit shutout in Baltimore last Friday. I'm very interested to see how CC pitches coming off such a good start. I wouldn't call tomorrow a must win or anything like that, but it is important. It's a lot better for the finishing a road trip 4-2 and coming home at 17-17 than coming home two games under.

	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Damon, DH	5	2	2	1	0	2	1	.323
Swisher, RF	5	0	0	0	0	2	2	.252
Teixeira, 1B	4	1	2	2	0	1	0	.202
Rodriguez, A, 3B	2	0	0	0	3	1	0	.188
Berroa, 3B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.167
Cano, 2B	5	1	2	1	0	0	3	.317
Cabrera, M, LF	5	1	1	0	0	0	3	.326
Gardner, CF	3	2	2	3	1	0	0	.233
Pena, SS	4	1	1	0	0	2	2	.280
Cervelli, C	4	0	1	1	0	1	2	.267
Totals	37	8	11	8	4	9	13
BATTING 2B: Cabrera, M (5, Richmond), Teixeira (5, Richmond), Damon (8, Wolfe), Cano (9, Murphy). 3B: Pena (1, Richmond), Damon (2, Richmond), Gardner (1, Murphy). HR: Gardner (1, 2nd inning off Richmond, 1 on, 0 out). TB: Damon 5; Teixeira 3; Cano 3; Cabrera, M 2; Gardner 7; Pena 3; Cervelli. RBI: Gardner 3 (7), Damon (26), Teixeira 2 (19), Cano (19), Cervelli (1). 2-out RBI: Teixeira; Cano; Cervelli. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Cano; Cabrera, M. SF: Teixeira. Team RISP: 6-for-13. Team LOB: 7. FIELDING E: Cano (2, throw), Pena (3, fielding). DP: (Berroa-Cano-Teixeira). Pickoffs: Cervelli (Scutaro at 2nd base).

	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Pettitte (W, 3-1)	6.0	5	2	1	4	2	0	4.00
Aceves, A	2.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	2.84
Albaladejo	1.0	1	0	0	2	0	0	5.29

BLUE JAYS STATS

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Brett Gardner (2-for-3, 3B, HR- first of his career, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB).

HONORABLE MENTION: Andy Pettitte (6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, avoided the big inning).

Yankees @ Blue Jays
Game Time: 7:07 p.m. | TV/Radio: YES, WCBS 880
CC Sabathia LHP (2-3, 3.94 ERA) vs. Brian Tallet LHP (2-1, 4.95 ERA)