Pettitte Pitches In and Yankees’ Win

Andy Pettitte has brought some stability to the New York Yankees’ struggling rotation.

Pettitte took a shutout into the seventh inning Wednesday night in his second consecutive strong start as the Yankees avoided their longest home losing streak in 11 years with a 12-6 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

“He’s not necessarily our ace because we don’t really have an ace here,” Yankee Manager Joe Torre said. “But he has been very consistent for us. The more consistent he is, the more confident he is.”

Scott Brosius hit a three-run homer in the second inning and a run-scoring single in a six-run sixth as New York took a 10-0 lead. Derek Jeter added a solo shot for the Yankees, who had lost five in a row at home. New York hasn’t lost six consecutive games at Yankee Stadium since Aug. 24-29, 1989.

With the Yankees’ starting rotation in disarray, Pettitte (9-4) has won seven of nine starts. Coming off a six-hit shutout against the Detroit Tigers, he was just as tough for six innings before giving up four runs in the seventh.

He got out of trouble twice early, getting Albert Belle to hit into a double play with runners on first and third and one out in the first, and striking out Brady Anderson with runners on second and third to end the fifth.

Pettitte’s 15-inning scoreless streak ended in the seventh when Charles Johnson hit his career-high 20th homer, a two-run shot. He left with two runners on and the Orioles scored four runs after Jason Grimsley entered.

With rookie Ed Yarnall slated to pitch today and Torre searching for a starter Saturday against the New York Mets, Pettitte’s performance was needed. This was only the 16th time in 41 games that a Yankee starter pitched into the seventh inning.

“I feel confident and hopefully I can keep rolling,” Pettitte said. “We’ve always been about pitching. If the pitching is good, we’ll be fine.”

Despite being nine games under .500 since May 9, the Yankees are only half a game behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East.

“We’re lucky to be where we’re at,” said reliever Jeff Nelson, who got out of a seventh-inning jam to preserve the Yankees’ four-run lead. “Nobody in the division is playing well.”

Pat Rapp (5-6) gave up seven runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings, and is winless in five decisions against the Yankees in his career. The right-hander was hurt by a blown call by first base umpire Gary Cederstrom in the sixth.

Bernie Williams, who has a 15-game hitting streak, led off with a double and scored on Tino Martinez’s one-out single that appeared to bounce just foul down the right-field line. The Yankees added five more runs in the inning.

“At least three of our guys saw it was foul,” Rapp said. “The umpire thought it hit the line. It wasn’t even close.”