• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Mussina sharp as Yankees win seventh straight

Sep 13, 2007 - 4:35 AM TORONTO (Ticker) -- Apparently, Mike Mussina isn't finished just yet.

Mussina pitched flawlessly into the sixth inning and Robinson Cano drove in two runs as the New York Yankees won their seventh consecutive game with a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night.

Hideki Matsui also drove in a run for the Yankees (83-62), who are five games behind the Boston Red Sox (88-58) in the American League East. The two rivals face off in a three-game set this weekend.

New York also is four games ahead of the Detroit Tigers (80-67) in the wild card standings.

A premier hurler for 17 seasons, Mussina (9-10) lost his spot in the Yankees' rotation to rookie Ian Kennedy after a putrid performance at Detroit on August 27. He had not won since August 11 at Cleveland.

But after an injury to righthander Roger Clemens, Mussina was thrust back into the rotation as New York tries to earn a postseason berth in the season's final month.

On Wednesday, he made a big contribution, tossing 5 2/3 scoreless innings and allowing just five hits. He walked three and struck out one.

"Today I felt pretty good about where the ball was going," Mussina said. "I thought I did a pretty good job of getting ahead of people. I was able to get breaking pitches over for strikes and we got out there and scored early and played some great defense."

Russ Adams singled to lead off the sixth and, after Alex Rios grounded out, Mussina issued a walk to Frank Thomas. Yankees manager Joe Torre then removed Mussina, who tossed just 87 pitches.

"He (Mussina) was terrific," Torre said. "I thought he stayed ahead most of the night. I didn't want to take him out there, but when he walked Frank Thomas, that certainly wasn't what he wanted to do. On the mound, I said you did a great job."

Rookie Edwar Ramirez got the final out of the sixth and first-year sensation Joba Chamberlain pitched the seventh but got into trouble in the eighth, allowing an unearned run - his first blemish of the season.

"It happened, but we won the game and that's all that matters," said Chamberlain who put runners on first and third with two outs before Rodriguez threw wildly after fielding Aaron Hill's grounder to third, plating Toronto's lone run of the game.

Torre then removed Chamberlain for closer Mariano Rivera, who got the final four outs for his 26th save.

Cano plated two important runs in the fourth. Matsui walked to start the frame and stole second before Posada singled to send him to third. After Jason Giambi was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Cano ripped a two-run single to give the Yankees a four-run cushion.

"It's good especially the way we're playing right now," Cano said. "I'm happy that I get a hit right there and two rbi's and make the game (4-0). We're confident right now, we're playing good baseball and hopefully we can play like that the rest of the season."

New York started the scoring in the first with a two-out rally. Blue Jays starter Dustin McGowan (10-9) issued back-to-back walks to Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez, setting up Matsui's RBI double to the opposite field.

The Yankees added another run when Rodriguez scored on McGowan's wild pitch to make it 2-0.

McGowan allowed four runs and three hits while striking out six and walking three for the Blue Jays.

"The walks killed me," McGowan said. "Every guy I walked scored. They may not have had many hits but they all came right after the walks. That's what happens when you walk people."

With the loss Toronto fell below .500 (72-73) for the first time since August 1 when they were (53-54).