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Chamberlain impressive in Yankees' win

Jun 20, 2008 - 12:32 AM By Larry Fleisher PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BRONX, New York (Ticker) -- While Joba Chamberlain was having his way with the strike zone, the New York Yankees had to scratch to generate enough runs.

Chamberlain struck out nine in 5 2/3 innings as the Yankees tied a season high with four stolen bases en route to their season-best seventh straight victory, a 2-1 triumph over the San Diego Padres in the finale of a three-game interleague series Thursday afternoon.

Jose Molina lifted a sacrifice fly and Alex Rodriguez had a go-ahead RBI single for the Yankees, who have scored 45 runs during their current run. They picked up their 12th win in 15 games despite going 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

In his fourth start, Chamberlain turned in his second-longest outing since his transition to the rotation in late-May. With his pitch count gradually expanding in each start, the righthander threw a career-high 100 pitches and held the Padres to one run and four hits.

"I think (this was my best outing) as far as getting ahead in the count," Chamberlain said. "I felt really good with my fastball. Getting ahead and throwing things for strikes (was big for me)."

It was seven more pitches than Chamberlain threw in Friday's 2-1 win in Houston - and he seemed to get stronger later in the game.

He allowed an RBI ground-rule double to Tony Clark in the fourth, then retired seven of the final eight hitters he faced. Chamberlain ended his outing by fanning Adrian Gonzalez and Chase Headley.

After getting Headley, New York manager Joe Girardi immediately signaled for righthander Jose Veras. It was an unpopular move as the fans the booed, but one Girardi felt was necessary because he did not want to risk another long at-bat.

"I wanted to give my best effort," Chamberlain added. "I wasn't going to be a politician per se. I understand. It's June. and this is my first time throwing 100 pitches and I've learned to be patient."

"You want to see him get through the sixth and win a game," Girardi said. "But you have to be smart about it."

Chamberlain has yet to get a decision in his current role, despite allowing only two runs in 11 2/3 innings in his last two starts. Jose Veras (2-0) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win, stranding runners at first and second in the seventh.

Kyle Farnsworth allowed a one-out single to Gonzalez and struck out Headley and Clark to end the eighth. Mariano Rivera struck out the side in the ninth for his 20th save in as many opportunities.

The outing by Chamberlain was the latest in a run of effective starting pitching as the Yankees' rotation has recorded an 1.69 ERA during the winning streak and allowed three earned runs or less in 10 of the last 11 games.

Chamberlain, who worked out of bases-loaded, no-out jam in the second, also was helped by his defense, especially the play of Molina behind the plate and Rodriguez at third.

Molina threw a strike to Chamberlain to nail Adrian Gonzalez, who attempted to score on a pitch in the dirt in the second. Two innings later, after Clark doubled, Rodriguez threw out Gonzalez again as he tried to score on Scott Hairston's groundout.

"You get up in the morning when you're washing your hair, brushing your teeth, and you know you're going to have to get yourself out of a jam," Chamberlain said. "That's what we do. That's what makes it so successful for everyone that does it."

"He worked his way out of some jams," San Diego manager Bud Black said. "We had the bases loaded and no one out and he got the strikeout of Hairston and I think that gave him momentum. Then he got the play at the plate and the fly ball to right to get out of it. We would have liked to get something out of that."

While the Yankees were getting the pitching and the defense, they were unable to do much of anything off San Diego's Josh Banks, who had allowed just four earned runs in 20 innings during his first three starts as a Padre.

"I kept us in the game," Banks said. "That's my job. Unfortunately, we couldn't hit (Chamberlain)."

After giving up hits to Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter to open the game, Banks retired 11 straight batters before hitting Jason Giambi with a pitch in the fourth. In the fifth, the Yankees utilized their running game to take advantage of Banks' slow delivery.

With one out in the inning, Melky Cabrera walked, stole second and third, then scored on Molina's sacrifice fly. In the sixth, Jeter singled, stole second, moved up a groundout and trotted home on Rodriguez's single.

"We wanted to be aggressive when we got guys on the bases and it paid off for us today," Jeter said.