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Yankees, Reds wrap set with doubleheader

Jun 22, 2011 - 2:31 PM (Sports Network) - After getting an unintended day off due to the weather, the New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds will wrap up a three-game interleague series with a day-night doubleheader beginning this afternoon at Great American Ball Park.

Heavy rain forced the postponement of Tuesday's scheduled middle test of this set, one night after the Yankees extended their winning streak to three games with a 5-3 victory over the defending National League Central champion Reds in the opener. New York scored four times in the top of the first inning to stake starting pitcher Ivan Nova to a quick lead, and the rookie made it stand by tossing eight outstanding innings in the longest outing of his major league career.

Nova limited the Reds to one run and four hits without issuing a walk, while also matching a personal best with seven strikeouts to win his third consecutive start.

"It looked like he felt confident even though he had to battle in the first inning," Yankees catcher Russell Martin said of Nova. "After that, it looked like a piece of cake for him. Even after he got behind in the count, he wasn't afraid to go after them."

Cincinnati threatened after Nova was removed, however, putting their first two hitters on in the bottom of the ninth while trailing 5-1 and forcing Yankees manager Joe Girardi to summon Mariano Rivera from the bullpen. The veteran closer did allow an RBI infield single to Scott Rolen and a run-scoring fielder's choice to Chris Heisey, but struck out pinch-hitter Edgar Renteria to end the game.

Reds starter Travis Wood struggled mightily in New York's four-run first, but settled down afterward to held the Yankees scoreless over the remainder of his seven-inning stint. The young left struck out six batters and walked just one.

"I felt good," said Wood. "I just tried to put that first inning behind me."

Cincinnati dropped to 1-6 against the AL for the season and has lost three of its last four overall, but the slumping club may have benefited from Tuesday's rainout. Staff ace Johnny Cueto has been bothered by a stiff neck that caused him to be scratched from Monday's assignment, but gets an extra day of rest before taking the mound in tonight's second game.

Cueto has been brilliant since returning from a season-opening stretch on the disabled list due to a sore arm, with the talented right-hander having amassed an impressive 1.68 earned run average in eight starts upon coming back. He's permitted two runs or fewer in all but two of those appearances.

The native Dominican has been especially good as of late. Cueto racked up a season-best eight strikeouts and yielded just four hits over seven shutout innings to defeat San Francisco on June 9, then followed up by limiting the Dodgers to one unearned run and five hits through seven frames in a 3-2 Reds' victory five days later. He's thrown seven innings or more in four consecutive starts and permitted a total of only four runs during that span.

Cueto has opposed the Yankees one time previously, which took place in New York during his rookie campaign of 2008. The 25-year-old held the Bronx Bombers to just one run while fanning seven over five strong innings in that contest, but still wound up receiving a tough-luck loss in a 4-1 Reds' setback.

Mike Leake, who gets the call for Cincinnati in today's opener, has also been in very good form lately. The 2009 first-round draft pick was sent to the minors in mid-May after registering a lackluster 5.70 ERA in nine games (six starts), but has gone 3-1 with a 2.31 ERA over five starts after being called back up to the big club after the brief banishment.

Leake did sustain his first loss since returning to the majors this past Friday, but still pitched well in a 3-2 setback to Toronto. The right-hander delivered six shutout innings before yielding all three Blue Jays' runs in the seventh, and gave up just five hits without walking a batter.

The 23-year-old is 4-2 with a 4.47 ERA in eight Great American Ball Park appearances (seven starts) this season and will be taking on the Yankees for the first time.

New York counters the youthful Leake with a grizzled veteran in Freddy Garcia, a pitcher who's had a good deal of success against the Reds in the past. The 34-year-old has won each of his three previous encounters with Cincinnati and pitched to a strong 2.57 ERA over the course of those games.

Garcia, who last pitched against the Reds in 2007 as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, does come in having lost two of his last three starts and wound up on the short side of a 3-1 decision to the Cubs Friday at Wrigley Field. The two-time All-Star worked seven innings that day and was touched for three runs on six hits.

In 12 starts and one relief appearance this season, Garcia has put together a 5-6 record with a 3.63 ERA.

While Garcia makes his 315th career start in the majors in game one, teammate Brian Gordon goes for only the second time as a big leaguer when he opposes Cueto in the nightcap.

Gordon, signed by the Yankees last week after exercising an opt-out clause with Philadelphia, made a long-awaited first major league start last Wednesday and received a no-decision against Texas after allowing two runs over 5 1/3 innings.

The 32-year-old has certainly paid his dues to earn that nod, having spent virtually all of his 15 professional seasons in the minors with five different organizations. Prior to last week's matchup with the Rangers, Gordon's lone experience at the big-league level came with three relief outings for Texas in 2008.

A former outfielder, Gordon compiled a 5-0 record and a International League- best 1.14 ERA in 12 games (nine starts) with the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate in Lehigh Valley.

The Reds have prevailed in four of the seven lifetime interleague bouts between these teams and took two of three from the Yanks in New York's only other visit to Great American Ball Park, which occurred in 2003.