(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| N.Y. Yankees « | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | x | 7 | 12 | 0 |
After missing a start due to inflammation in his left elbow, Andy Pettitte returned to the mound Saturday and shut down the Twins for his fifth win of the season. Andy held the Twins to just two hits and three walks, while striking out two over six and a third scoreless inning.
The Twins did have a chance to get to Andy early, when Justin Morneau singled and Michael Cuddyer walked to start the second. But Pettitte got Delmon Young to ground into a 6-4-3 double play, and Bendan Harris to line back to the box to end the inning. It looked ticketed for center field off the bat, but Andy put his glove down and there was the ball. That would be the last runner to get past first base while Pettitte was in the game.
While Pettitte was out there, the Yankees offense was only able to put three runs on the board with single runs in the first, second and sixth. Alex Rodriguez drove in the Yankees first run with an RBI single scoring Derek Jeter, who had led off the game with a single of his own. In the second the Yankees play some small ball. Marcus Thames was hit by a pitch. He moved to second on a sac bunt by Francisco Cervelli, and then scored on a Jeter RBI single. For the third run, Jorge Posada started off the sixth with a ground-rule double and then scored on a Thames single.
After striking out Morneau for the first out of seventh, Pettitte was replaced by David Robertson. He was only at 95 pitches (53 strikes), and probably could have stayed in the game, but Joe Girardi probably didn't want to push the veteran lefty too far. With his efforts, Pettitte lowered his ERA for the season to 1.79.
D-Rob retired Cuddyer before he walked Young and gave up a single to Harris put the tying run on base for Jim Thome. That would be it for D-Rob, as Girardi went with his stuggling lefty, Damaso Marte. This time Marte did the job, striking out Thome on a 2-2 slider that snuck across the inside corner.
The Yankees offense would put the game away with four runs in the bottom half of the inning on two two-run homers. Mark Teixeira hit his seventh of the season, a long homer just short of the upper deck in right. Tex is now hitting .321/.400/.604 in May. Later in the inning, Jorge Posada launched his sixth homer of the year. For Posada, it was his third hit of the day to raise his average to .314.
Boone Logan allowed a run on four hits as he finished off the final two inning to preserve the Yankees 24th win of the season.
The Yankees go for the sweep today with Sergio Mitre on the mound. Right-hander Nick Blackburn will get the start for the Twins. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. and the game will be on YES.
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
| Derek Jeter , SS | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .271 |
| Nick Swisher , RF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .293 |
| Mark Teixeira , 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .217 |
| Alex Rodriguez , 3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .288 |
| Robinson Cano , 2B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .336 |
| Jorge Posada , DH | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .314 |
| Marcus Thames , LF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .348 |
| Francisco Cervelli , C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .393 |
| Brett Gardner , LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .322 |
| Randy Winn , RF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .179 |
| Totals | 35 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 16 | |
| BATTING | ||||||||
| 2B: Posada (8, Liriano), Rodriguez, A (9, Crain). HR: Teixeira (7, 7th inning off Crain, 1 on, 0 out), Posada (6, 7th inning off Mahay, 1 on, 1 out). TB: Jeter 2; Swisher; Teixeira 5; Rodriguez, A 3; Cano; Posada 7; Thames. RBI: Rodriguez, A (27), Jeter (23), Thames (6), Teixeira 2 (28), Posada 2 (14). 2-out RBI: Jeter. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Posada; Swisher; Thames; Jeter. S: Cervelli. Team RISP: 4-for-11. Team LOB: 7. 2B: Posada (8, Liriano), Rodriguez, A (9, Crain). HR: Teixeira (7, 7th inning off Crain, 1 on, 0 out), Posada (6, 7th inning off Mahay, 1 on, 1 out). TB: Jeter 2; Swisher; Teixeira 5; Rodriguez, A 3; Cano; Posada 7; Thames. RBI: Rodriguez, A (27), Jeter (23), Thames (6), Teixeira 2 (28), Posada 2 (14). 2-out RBI: Jeter. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Posada; Swisher; Thames; Jeter. S: Cervelli. Team RISP: 4-for-11. Team LOB: 7. SB: Gardner (17, 2nd base off Liriano/Butera). | ||||||||
| FIELDING | ||||||||
| DP: 2 (Cano-Teixeira, Jeter-Cano-Teixeira). | ||||||||
| Pitchers | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
| Andy Pettitte (W,5-0) | 6.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1.79 |
| David Robertson | 0.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10.24 |
| Damaso Marte | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4.70 |
| Boone Logan | 2.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.24 |
| Pitches-strikes: Pettitte 95-53, Robertson, D 15-9, Marte, D 6-4, Logan 43-31. Groundouts-flyouts: Pettitte 6-5, Robertson, D 1-0, Marte, D 0-0, Logan 2-3. Batters faced: Pettitte 22, Robertson, D 3, Marte, D 1, Logan 10. Inherited runners-scored: Marte, D 2-0. |
| PLAYER OF THE GAME: Andy Pettitte HONORABLE MENTION: Jorge Posada |
