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Pettitte stops Yankees' slide

Apr 20, 2008 - 11:11 PM BALTIMORE (Ticker) -- As he has so many times in his career, Andy Pettitte filled the role of stopper for the New York Yankees.

Pettitte retired the first 14 batters he faced and allowed four hits in seven scoreless innings Sunday, helping the Yankees snap a three-game losing streak with a 7-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

It marked the 72nd time that Pettitte (3-1) has posted a victory following a New York loss. All three of his wins this season have come after defeats.

"I didn't have the velocity that I normally have, but the four-seamer was cutting real good and I was able to jam a lot of the righties," Pettitte said. "I was locating the ball away, too."

It may have been a costly win, however, as New York third baseman Alex Rodriguez left in the sixth inning strained right quadriceps muscle and is listed as day-to-day. Earlier this season, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter missed six games with a strained left quadriceps.

Sunday's game was twice delayed by rain, once in the bottom of the eighth and again in the bottom of the ninth.

After being blanked, 6-0, on Saturday, New York finally broke through against Steve Trachsel (1-3) in the fourth on back-to-back RBI doubles by Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui.

Johnny Damon hit a two-run home run in the seventh off Chad Bradford to make it 4-0, and Jeter broke it open with a bases-clearing double in the ninth.

"We are not where we want to be right now, but we will get better," said first-year Yankees manager Joe Girardi, whose team has split its first 20 games. "This is a good start. We didn't hit the first two games (of the series), but we did today."

Joba Chamberlain, who rejoined the Yankees on Saturday after spending time with his ailing father in Nebraska, started the eighth and gave up a pair of hits before the game was delayed for 37 minutes

Chamberlain did not return when the contest resumed but was charged with his first run allowed this season as Brian Bruney surrendered a sacrifice fly to Brian Roberts. Mariano Rivera recorded the final three outs for New York.

Trachsel surrendered three runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. He left after giving up a one-out double to Chad Moeller.

"Trachsel has a way of coming up with a big pitch," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "He keeps the hitters off-balanced, and his breaking pitches were good today."

However, Damon greeted Bradford with his second homer of the season, giving the Yankees some breathing room.

"He fell behind in the count and he gave me a pitch to hit and I didn't miss it this time," Damon said.

While the Yankees failed to do much against Trachsel early in the game, Pettitte was in control on the mound, earning him praise from his manager.

"I think he's a tremendous ballplayer, both on and off the field," Girardi said. "He came out and did what he needed to do. He gave us a big lift."

Pettitte gave up a pair of two-out singles to Jay Payton and Adam Jones in the fifth but got Guillermo Quiroz to fly out. He also stranded a runner at third in the sixth.

"I knew I hadn't given up a hit, but I really didn't think too much about it because I knew there was no way I was going to throw a no-hitter," Pettitte said. "I've never come close before, so I assumed somebody was probably going to get a hit."

The other hits off Pettitte were a single by Roberts in the sixth and a double by Kevin Millar in the seventh.