Pettitte pitches Yankees to victory

NEW YORK -- Andy Pettitte proved reliable again for the New York Yankees, right after they lost faith in Mike Mussina.

Pettitte halted another Yankees slide by winning his sixth straight start, and Johnny Damon hit a tiebreaking homer against his former team in New York’s 5-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.

Derek Jeter also homered and Jorge Posada hit a run-scoring double for the Yankees, who won the opener of a three-game series in the first meeting between the rivals since June 3.

Pettitte’s strong effort came on the same night Manager Joe Torre told the struggling Mussina that he would be passed over for his next scheduled start, Saturday against Tampa Bay. The Yankees will call up touted prospect Ian Kennedy from triple A to pitch against the Devil Rays in the middle of a pennant race.

“We’ve had a rough stretch. We need to get our rotation in order,” Pettitte said. “Thankfully, I was able to give us a good outing.”

Boston came to town with an eight-game lead over New York in the American League East and a chance to open a nearly insurmountable cushion. But Pettitte (12-7) played stopper again. He gave up three runs and six hits in seven innings, improving to 8-1 in 10 starts since the All-Star break. His last three wins have followed New York defeats.