Pettitte Ailment Overshadows Victory

Aside from the struggles of Javier Vazquez, little has afflicted the Yankees’ starting pitchers this season.

For abundant of Wednesday’s 7-5 achievement over the Baltimore Orioles, it appeared that Andy Pettitte was advancement his role in one of baseball’s best dependable rotations.

But Pettitte larboard the bold afore 43,425 admirers in Yankee Stadium afterwards alone 77 pitches. Afterwards the game, Manager Joe Girardi told reporters that Pettitte had been beatific to a bounded hospital afterwards accusatory of acerbity in his left, casting arm. Girardi said Pettitte would abide a alluring resonance imaging examination.

His bristles innings were abundant for achievement to advance his almanac to 4-0.

If Pettitte is injured, it will be the latest in a contempo amplitude of hurts that additionally has claimed, to capricious degrees, centermost fielder Curtis Granderson, catcher Jorge Posada and afterpiece Mariano Rivera.

The injuries, however, accept not afflicted the success of the arresting World Series champions, who swept the Orioles in three amateur and will comedy their abutting seven on the alley alpha on Friday night in Boston.

The victory, the Yankees’ fourth in succession, was their seventh in their aftermost eight amateur and larboard them a half-game abaft Tampa in the American League East. The Rays played at night at Seattle.

Pettitte larboard with a 6-1 advance afterwards bristles innings. He accustomed six hits and two walks in his beeline airing of the season. He is not appointed to angle afresh until abutting Tuesday night in Detroit; the bristles canicule of blow would be one added than is normal.

Sergio Mitre replaced Pettitte to alpha the sixth and larboard afterwards giving up a two-run home run to Ty Wigginton with one out in the eighth to cut the Yankees’ advance to 6-3. The Yankees tacked on an allowance run in the eighth to accomplish it 7-3.

The absence of Rivera was bright in the ninth inning back David Robertson, aggravating to assure a four-run lead, gave up after abandoned home runs to Matt Wieters and Nolan Reimold.

Joba Chamberlain had adored the antecedent two amateur and Girardi did not demand to use him three canicule in a row. So, Girardi brought in Boone Logan, who absolved Rhyne Hughes.