Notes: Pettitte bumped to Monday

Notes: Pettitte bumped to Monday

Left-hander given regular rest as Clemens continues to rehab

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Flying back from an unexpected trip home to Houston this week, Andy Pettitte was placed on notice that he might have one more regular-season Yankee Stadium start after all.

So when the Yankees tabbed the left-hander -- and not the ailing Roger Clemens -- to pitch Monday's regular-season home finale, Pettitte said he had prepared for the assignment, coming on his normal fifth day of rest.

"I'll just do whatever I have to do to get ready to pitch when they want me to," Pettitte said.

The last-minute switch was another move made out of caution for Clemens, who tweaked his left hamstring while performing distance running on Thursday's off-day.

Clemens was scratched from Saturday's start and reassigned to Monday before the Yankees decided to push him back one more game, tentatively shooting for Tuesday at Tampa Bay. Yankees manager Joe Torre waited until Pettitte threw a bullpen session on Saturday before announcing the switch prior to New York's 12-11 victory over Toronto in 10 innings.

"It was all about giving [Clemens] as much time as we can without disrupting anything," Torre said. "The fact that Andy was on his fifth day made it easier to do."

Clemens said that he has been encouraged by seeing some "spots" rise in the back of his left leg, which could be due in part to the amount of "digging" that trainers have done. Clemens threw in the bullpen for about five minutes on Sunday and reported no issues.

"I just need to get in game situations," Clemens said. "It's going to be completely different from what I'm doing out here. I've got to be honest -- we're at a real critical part of the season, and I don't want to go back. ... I just want this thing to feel the right way and get out there."

With the timing of Clemens' injury, it is possible that he could have just one more regular-season start before the Yankees open a potential American League Division Series series. Pettitte pointed to Clemens' 12-day layoff before a classic Sept. 16 effort at Fenway Park as one reason for optimism that the Rocket would pick it up in a big spot.

"He's shown he can take two weeks off and be very strong and throw a great game," Pettitte said. "That'd be a concern for me, personally, because I feel when I throw on my fifth or sixth day, I need to stay on my game. I feel like I struggle if I have too much rest.

"Roger is totally different. We just need to make sure he's as healthy as he can be going into the playoffs. The good thing is that I don't feel like we're in desperate need where we need to rush him out there."

As the playoffs near, the Yankees' home slate will conclude featuring Pettitte going for his 15th victory. Pettitte said that he has been surprised by how good his left elbow has felt, even deep into September, and credits the surgery that shortened his 2004 campaign with Houston for helping to restore his health.

"I've had to deal with my elbow, after my rookie season, for the eight years that I was here," Pettitte said. "It's just nice to feel like I don't have to eat anti-inflammatories the whole year."

100 grand: With a fifth-inning triple on Saturday, Hideki Matsui reached the 100-RBI mark for the ninth time in his professional career, including four times in the Major Leagues.

Matsui, who missed four months last season with a broken left wrist, said the milestone was notable considering his lengthy absence. Matsui entered Sunday's game batting .289 with 25 home runs and 102 RBIs in 138 games.

"I don't really get caught up in the numbers game, but the more the better, certainly," Matsui said through an interpreter. "At least I reached a number similar to what I had before I got hurt. In that sense, it was important."

Going to 'war: After Saturday's game, Torre spoke about how it might be needed to put an arm around rookie right-hander Edwar Ramirez and remind him about all the tough outs he'd recorded. Ramirez has allowed four runs in his last three appearances, including one home run, and got just one out in Saturday's appearance.

Then, in the middle of the clubhouse on Sunday morning, Torre did just that, enveloping the string-bean reliever in an embrace.

Ramirez said that he worked on a mechanical flaw in the bullpen on Sunday with pitching coach Ron Guidry and Triple-A coach Dave Eiland, trying to close his front shoulder and prevent flying open.

Bombers bits: The Yankees paid tribute to Phil Rizzuto in a pregame ceremony on Sunday, featuring speeches by Reggie Jackson and Bobby Murcer. ... Over New York's last 16 games entering play on Sunday, the club's starting pitchers were 8-1 with a 2.56 ERA and had not allowed a home run in 88 innings. ... Rookie reliever Joba Chamberlain turned 22 on Sunday.

Coming up: The Yankees will play home game No. 81 on Monday, with Pettitte (14-8, 3.79 ERA) making the start for New York opposite Toronto right-hander A.J. Burnett (9-7, 3.40 ERA). First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. ET on the YES Network.

Yanks drop finale against Rays

Yanks drop finale against Rays

Pettitte allows decisive three-run homer in seventh inning

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Working out of a bases-loaded jam with only one run scoring in the sixth inning deposited a flash of fire in Andy Pettitte's eyes, his firm glare telling the Yankees' bench to stand clear.

Unfortunately for Pettitte, Carlos Pena didn't obey. The first baseman slugged a game-changing three-run homer and the Devil Rays blasted out an 8-2 victory over the Yankees, snapping Pettitte's six-start winning streak.

For Pettitte, the Pena home run came on his 119th and final pitch of the afternoon. Though Yankees manager Joe Torre later admitted that the team had tried to grind toward a better outcome by having Pettitte start the new inning with 103 pitches, the left-hander had no regrets for taking on the seventh inning.

"They sent me back out there with a lot of pitches, and I wanted to be back out there on the mound," Pettitte said. "If you don't make a pitch late in the game after a guy has seen you four times already, if you accidentally hang something, they hurt you."

The damaging blow came on a lazy curveball to the biggest hitter in Tampa Bay's lineup, Pena, a Yankees Triple-A farmhand last season who tied a Devil Rays club record when his 34th homer landed in the right-field seats.

"Andy didn't do anything wrong," Torre said. "I may have pushed the envelope with him in that last inning, but as far as the way he battled it over six innings, it was another effective start for him. He was hell-bent on going out there for the seventh, and we weren't going to try to talk him out of it, that's for sure."

Pettitte (12-8) had won his last six starts and 12 consecutive decisions against Tampa Bay. He lasted 6 1/3 innings, allowing five runs and 11 hits while walking two and striking out seven.

Dioner Navarro's third-inning home run off Pettitte boosted Tampa Bay to a 1-0 lead, the Rays catcher's seventh of the season. Pettitte experienced more control troubles in the sixth, leading to the second Tampa Bay run. He issued a walk to Carl Crawford, who moved to second on an errant pickoff throw, then stole third as Pena worked the count toward a base on balls. B.J. Upton brought home the run with a sacrifice fly to right.

The Rays loaded the bases on hits to Delmon Young and Brendan Harris, but Pettitte came back to strike out Jonny Gomes and induced Josh Wilson to hit into a fielder's choice.

The Devil Rays put the game out of reach by blasting Edwar Ramirez for two homers in the eighth: deep drives by Wilson, his second home run, and Akinori Iwamura, his sixth, a two-run shot.

But long before that, the Yankees were victims of sleepy offense on what Pettitte termed a "lethargic" afternoon at the Stadium -- a sunny Sunday afternoon with crisp autumn air, but little noise coming from a sellout crowd of 53,957.

"You want to get the game going," Pettitte said. "It felt like we couldn't get the crowd into it or anything. It felt like it was a little lethargic day out there. That's the frustrating part, more than anything. You're out there battling your tail off."

Then again, with Jason Hammel throwing an effectively wild performance, maybe the fans just didn't have all that much to clap their hands about.

"[Pettitte] pitched well. He gave us an opportunity to win," said Derek Jeter, who went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts and may be in the market for another day of rest. "He threw the ball pretty well, and we had a couple of opportunities. We didn't get the job done."

The loudest point of the afternoon may have been the yelp let out by Andy Phillips in the fifth inning, drilled by a Hammel fastball on the right wrist. Examined at first base after shaking his arm vigorously down the basepath, Phillips took out some aggression on the catcher Navarro, crashing into the backstop as he slid home on Melky Cabrera's run-scoring double to right.

After scoring, Phillips walked straight down the clubhouse runway and off to an area hospital, on his way for a precautionary MRI and CT scan. He may as well have taken the Yankees' offense with him; except for Bobby Abreu's run-scoring triple off Grant Balfour in the seventh, New York managed little, stranding two in the sixth, two in the eighth and going down quietly in the ninth against Gary Glover.

"We threatened," said left fielder Johnny Damon, who contributed an outfield assist to save a run in the fifth. "Unfortunately, we couldn't get that extra run in -- something that we've been pretty good at all year. We spoiled a good pitching outing by Pettitte again. We should have at least been able to push a few more runs across to make his job easier."

Hammel (2-4) scattered five hits in five-plus innings, walking none and striking out seven for the victory for the Devil Rays, who took two of three in the weekend series. The series was a bit of a dip in the slate for a Yankees club that cannot afford more of the same, particularly with the Wild Card-contending Mariners rolling to town Monday looking to snap their own malaise.

"I don't think it matters who we play. Every team is going to play us tough," Jeter said. "We have to execute to give us an opportunity to win. We've been playing pretty good -- [Tampa Bay] beat us two out of three here, but we come right back."

Pettitte thumbs aside Angels

Pettitte thumbs aside Angels

Fifth straight win for pitcher prevents sweep in Anaheim

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- Andy Pettitte was the stopper once more for the Yankees' Southern California troubles, logging his fifth consecutive victory by posting an 8-2 victory over the Angels on Wednesday.

Behind Pettitte's seven innings of one-run ball, the Yankees salvaged the finale of a three-game series at Angel Stadium, moving back within five games of the Red Sox in the AL East and 1 1/2 games behind the Mariners in the AL Wild Card race.

"Andy knows when it's important for us to win, but every time he goes to the mound it's important for him to win," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "This game was enormously important."

Always a strong second-half performer, Pettitte has been especially on point as the Yankees pursue their postseason hopes, limiting opponents to eight earned runs over his last 35 innings.

As he did following his last victory, Pettitte credited small mechanical adjustments made prior to an Aug. 12 start at Cleveland for his resurgence of late.

"I'm really just feeling good," Pettitte said. "My command's been there and that's the key. I'm throwing my stuff for strikes and my two-seamer has been there. It's been a big pitch for me.

"Whenever you don't have command of the outside corner, and I lost it [earlier in the season], it's frustrating and it's difficult to pitch. Obviously I was running deep into counts with everybody. Not being able to throw deep into games is frustrating for me."

He didn't have that problem on Wednesday, pitching in front of a sellout crowd of 44,326 at the Big A.

Striking out six and walking two, Pettitte's only real blemish in a five-hit performance came in the sixth inning, as Orlando Cabrera hit a home run past the 387-foot mark in left-center to tie the game.

The Yankees regained the lead in the seventh, scoring twice on run-scoring hits by Melky Cabrera and Derek Jeter.

"You always have confidence when he's pitching," Jeter said. "Today, he was as good as he's been all year. They have a tough team and they don't strike out much. They put the ball in play, and they're pests on the basepaths. He made one mistake and I don't even know if you can call it a mistake."

On both sides, Pettitte and Angels starter John Lackey locked heads, with each pitcher surrendering just one run through the first six innings before New York pulled away.

"He was in a good rhythm and so was I," Pettitte said. "We were getting some quick outs. That's always nice to be able to do. It was just a good game."

In the seventh, Cabrera brought home Jorge Posada with a hard one-out single through the right side, breaking a 4-for-34 slide for the outfielder. Jeter added an RBI hit to right field that scored Robinson Cano, before Jeter was thrown out at second base to end the inning.

Bobby Abreu padded the Yankees' lead with a home run leading off the eighth, chasing Lackey, who came up short in his attempt to become the Major Leagues' first 16-game winner this season. The right-hander allowed 10 hits and four runs in seven-plus innings, walking three and striking out four.

Cano and Hideki Matsui each had three of New York's 16 hits, helping to fluff a late cushion for rookie Joba Chamberlain, who struck out the side around a single in the eighth.

The final out the 21-year-old Chamberlain recorded was a swinging strikeout of Vladimir Guerrero, who waved at a biting slider in the dirt for Chamberlain's 14th strikeout in just eight innings of Major League service.

"That's big no matter who you're facing, and especially a guy of Vlad's status," Chamberlain said. "He goes up there to take care of business and that's what he does best."

Mariano Rivera surrendered a run in the ninth inning but recorded the final three outs for the Yankees, who won just three of nine games against the Angels this season and would not see the scrappy club again until a potential postseason series.

The game also marked Torre's 1,150th win as Yankees manager, passing Casey Stengel for sole possession of second place on the franchise list behind Joe McCarthy (1,460).

"That's the biggest one for me," Torre said. "This was my lifetime, when I was growing up in the '40s and '50s in New York, during the five straight championships. Casey was obviously the architect of this whole thing. I'm very proud of this."

Pettitte: Yankees are coming alive

Pettitte: Yankees are coming alive

MLBPLAYERS.com

We've been on a roll the last few weeks. Considering the way we started the season, it's good to see us turning things around. We're obviously playing a lot better recently.

Our guys are swinging the bats real well, our staff has sort of rounded out and is in good health, and the bullpen has been throwing the ball well. Right now we're playing really, really well. But the big key has been our offense.

Our guys have been swinging the bats unbelievably. Through the tough times earlier this season, we felt like it was just a matter of time. We didn't panic. Back then, we kept looking at each other as if to say, "Surely we are going to play better. We just have too much talent."

We still looked at each other when we were playing bad, but thank goodness we finally straightened it out. When you have a team with a track record like ours -- most of these guys are .300 hitters -- you knew that sooner or later they were going to start swinging hot bats.

At the start of the season, we suffered a lot of injuries to our starting staff. It was crazy. For the first three or four weeks of the season I was pitching with four rookies and a couple of them are now in Double-A. We just had a bad run of health. We watched as one guy after the next went down with an injury.

Looking back, it's nice to know we hung in there. We could have pointed fingers but we persevered through it and now we're playing well again. Hopefully, we can keep this up.

We've played a lot better on the road the last six weeks or so and keeping that up is going to be big. Obviously, if you can go into another team's ballpark and win a series here and there, it will be huge for us because that's tough to do.

I don't pay any attention to the postseason possibilities at this point. The thing I concern myself with is whether we're playing well. I could care less if we win the division or get in as a Wild Card, as long as we make it to the playoffs. I know that is how I feel.

The fans, of course, would love to see us win our division and we would love to win our division. But the big thing is to get into the postseason.

Considering the way we started out -- I think we were nearly 15 games out of first place at one point -- being able to make the run we have recently is pretty special.

Hopefully, we keep playing well and get to the playoffs. We can then focus on where we really want to be -- in the World Series.

Andy Pettitte has won six games since the All-Star break and four straight. The Yankees have won 15 of their last 21 games and have gotten themselves back into the playoff picture.