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Colon tosses Yankees past A's

May 31, 2011 - 3:15 AM Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - Bartolo Colon tossed his first complete game since 2006, as the New York Yankees downed Oakland, 5-0, in the opener of a three-game set.

Colon (3-3) allowed just four hits while fanning six without walking a batter, winning for the first time since April 27.

It was the first time the burly Dominican right-hander completed a start since throwing a four-hit shutout at Seattle for the Angels on July 5, 2006.

"The stamina is fine. One of the big things about Bartolo is that he never throws a lot of pitches," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi of his starter. "He rarely throws 100 pitches in five innings. He might do that in a whole game. His games are pretty economical and it doesn't take a lot out of him."

Mark Teixeira hit a two-run homer for the Yankees, who were coming off a series loss at Seattle over the weekend. Robinson Cano added two hits and an RBI.

Josh Willingham and Cliff Pennington doubled for the Athletics, whose four- game win streak came to an end.

Trevor Cahill (6-3) worked 6 2/3 innings in defeat, charged with four runs and four hits with five walks.

New York dented Cahill for three runs in the first, as Derek Jeter led off with a single and scored on Teixeira's one-out blast, then Alex Rodriguez walked and Cano followed with an RBI double.

Brett Gardner walked with one out in the seventh, stole second and later came home on a Jeter sacrifice fly and it was 4-0 for the Yankees.

"Obviously, quite a few of the best hitters in the game were there (in the lineup), but I guess I just try to go out there and have fun," said Cahill when asked what he thought of facing such a potent lineup. "I take it one inning at a time and if they hit you, they hit you."

In the ninth, Nick Swisher hit a leadoff double and his pinch-runner, Chris Dickerson, scored on a sac fly to right from Francisco Cervelli.

Colon cruised throughout, setting down the side in order in the first, third, fourth, fifth and seventh. From Willingham's leadoff double in the second, he retired 12 in a row until a leadoff hit from Kevin Kouzmanoff in the sixth.

Oakland went quietly in that frame, then saw a leadoff single from Kurt Suzuki in the eighth erased on a double-play grounder from Mark Ellis.

Pennington started the home ninth with a double, but was stranded on third after Daric Barton fouled out and David DeJesus flied out.

Game Notes

Colon had gone 0-2 with three no-decisions in May...This marked the first time all season that the Yankees blanked an opponent...Oakland was shut out for the sixth time in 2011 and for the second time in the season's second month.