Another good pitching performance was snubbed today as the Yankees blow their lead to the Cleveland Indians in the late innings. Andy Pettitte did everything that you could ask the starting pitcher to do: 1. keep the club in the game, and 2. give them a chance to win. He did both of those things. Andy pitched 6.1 innings, scattered 5 hits, 2 earned runs, and had 6 K’s. The two runs came from a home run with one on in the 4th inning, off the bat of Peralta. Other than that, Pettitte pitched a very clean game.
Farnsworth came on in relief, and got the Yankees out of the 7th inning without harm. It wasn’t until the 8th inning that things started to unravel. With two base runners aboard, Joba Chamberlain gave up a 3-run blast to a pinch-hitting David Dellucci, who was in for RF Gutierrez, in the middle of the lineup. That took the Yankee lead away from them, and the 3 game win streak came to an end.
Usually when the bullpen enters and the Yankees have the lead, it usually translates into a win. Just a couple of days ago that was the case. The starting pitcher made it possible for the team to score a couple/few runs, and be in a real good spot to win the game. Then the bullpen enters, and takes the side down, inning after inning, until the game is over, and Mariano Rivera pitches the last ball that rolls lazily to Jeter, who throws to first for the out.
Instead, the Yankees take one on the chin today, and fall to the Indians of Cleveland by a score of 3-5. Their record, again, goes to .500 (17-17), their 3 game win streak comes to an end, and they look ahead to meet them again tomorrow, and hopefully force a rubber game in this series.
