Orioles 7 - 3 Yankees
Final
  for this game

Pettitte, Yankees aim for sweep of Orioles

Sep 1, 2013 - 11:50 AM (Sports Network) - Andy Pettitte aims to continue his domination of the Baltimore Orioles Sunday when the New York Yankees try for a three-game sweep in the Bronx.

Pettitte is 8-0 over his last 11 starts against the Orioles since Sept. 19, 2007. His last loss to the O's came July 27, 2007. He's recorded a loss just twice against Baltimore since Sept. 10, 2002, going 16-2 in that stretch. The 41-year-old left-hander owns the second-most wins all-time against the Orioles since their move to Baltimore in 1954 with a 28-6 mark. Only Whitey Ford (30 wins) has more.

He's 9-0 in his last 11 home starts against the Orioles and hasn't lost to them in the Bronx since July 5, 1999.

Pettitte has put together winning starts three consecutive times, with his last two triumphs coming against Toronto. On Tuesday, he gave up five hits in seven shutout innings. He's 3-0 over his last four home starts and hasn't lost at Yankee Stadium since June 26 versus Texas.

Wei-Yin Chen is headed in the opposite direction with a 1-4 mark over his last five outings. The southpaw was hammered for eight hits and as many runs over 3 2/3 innings at Boston on Tuesday.

In six career starts against the Yankees (including playoffs), Chen is 2-3 with a 4.46 ERA.

Ivan Nova came through with the first shutout of his career, a three-hit gem that carried the Yankees to a 2-0 victory yesterday. Nova (8-4) walked just one and hit a pair of batters in notching his second complete-game effort of the season, with the other also coming against the Orioles at Yankee Stadium back on July 5.

The win, New York's ninth in 13 outings and sixth straight at home, also vaulted the Yankees a half game ahead of the Orioles in the American League wild card standings, where both teams still trail Oakland and Tampa Bay for the two berths.

Robinson Cano supplied all the offense Nova needed, delivering an RBI double in the bottom of the first inning and cracking a solo homer in the eighth.

Baltimore, meanwhile, was dealt its 11th setback in 17 games despite a very solid performance from starter Scott Feldman (4-4), who permitted just one run on six hits over seven innings of work.

"To hold them to one run in this ballpark (was impressive)," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of Feldman's effort. "We just couldn't do much off Nova, obviously."

Nova held Baltimore's powerful offense squarely in check throughout the afternoon. The right-hander got a key double play after the Orioles put the first two men on in the top of the second, then yielded just two base runners over the next five frames to keep the Yankees up by a 1-0 score heading into the eighth.

"He was spectacular," Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said of Nova. "You couldn't ask him to be anything more. Baltimore's got a great team and he was able to shut them down."

The teams have split 14 meetings this season.






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