The New York Yankees haven’t lost four straight games since mid-May, but
they’ll have the right man on the mound to help avoid it from happening again.

CC Sabathia(notes) looks to become the first Yankee in 31 years with back-to-back
20-win seasons when slumping New York faces the surging Los Angeles Angels on
Saturday night in Anaheim.

New York (87-56) fell 2-1 to Los Angeles on Friday, but maintained its 2
1/2-game division lead thanks to slumping Boston’s 7-2 loss to Tampa Bay earlier
in the night. The Yankees will now try to avoid dropping four consecutive games
for the first time since losing six straight May 11-16.

With Sabathia (19-7, 2.97 ERA) taking the hill, New York looks in good shape
to end its skid.

The left-hander, who is 9-2 in 12 starts after a Yankees loss this season,
can become the first Yankees pitcher to win 20 games in two straight seasons
since Tommy John in 1979 and 1980. No pitcher in the majors has accomplished the
feat since Roy Oswalt(notes) did it for Houston in 2004 and 2005.

Sabathia improved to 3-0 with a 3.25 ERA in his last four starts after
allowing two runs over 7 1-3 innings of a 9-3 victory over Toronto on Sunday. He
beat the Angels 3-2 on June 4 when he gave up two runs – one earned – in 8 2-3
innings.

After throwing a season-high 128 pitches to beat Boston on Aug. 30, then
throwing 111 more against the Blue Jays, Sabathia will be pitching on an extra
day of rest. Manager Joe Girardi has decided to go through a six-man rotation
again to evaluate his staff.

“Whenever they tell me to take the ball, I’ll try to go out and give the
team its best chance, and that’s all I can do,” Sabathia told the Yankees’
official website.

The task may be more difficult this time around against Los Angeles (79-65),
which has won five of six. The Angels remain 2 1/2 games behind AL West-leading
Texas, which beat Oakland 13-4 on Friday.

Pinch-hitter Maicer Izturis(notes) hit a sacrifice fly to win the series opener for
Los Angeles, scoring pinch-runner Jeremy Moore(notes) after Jered Weaver(notes) allowed one
run over eight innings in a duel with former Angel Bartolo Colon(notes).

“We’re persistent,” rookie first baseman Mark Trumbo(notes) said. “I think we’ve
all thought the whole way that it’s really not how you start, but how you
finish.”

Dan Haren(notes) (14-8, 3.20) will oppose Sabathia looking to help keep Los Angeles
rolling.

Haren will be facing a top-caliber ace for the second time in three starts.
He lost to Seattle’s Felix Hernandez(notes) in a 2-1 defeat Aug. 31.

The right-hander rebounded to beat the Mariners 7-3 on Monday, when he
allowed three runs through six innings and benefited from facing rookie Anthony
Vazquez instead of Hernandez.

Haren is 4-1 with a 3.97 ERA in nine career starts against New York, but
didn’t earn a decision Aug. 9 when he gave up four runs in 6 2-3 innings of a
game the Angels went on to win 6-4.

Yankees youngster Jesus Montero(notes) is 4 for 10 with three homers and six RBIs
over his last three games.

Montero, the team’s designated hitter the last six games since being called
up from the minors, Montero homered off Weaver on Friday for New York’s lone
run.

Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher(notes) sat out the series opener with pain in his
throwing arm, but hopes to be back in the lineup sometime this weekend.

BOSTON (Reuters) – The New York Yankees enjoyed a rare success over bitter rivals the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, the 5-2 victory in a hot-tempered affair enabling the visitors to tighten the battle for supremacy in the American League East.

Emotions ran high with both benches clearing in the seventh inning when Boston starter John Lackey hit New York batter Francisco Cervelli before Yankees manager Joe Girardi was ejected for arguing a call in the ninth.

Cervelli had begun to move toward Lackey on the mound after being struck, but the matter settled without incident after both teams exchanged words.

“It looked a little weird, but I think it’s part of the game,” Cervelli told reporters. “I’ve got so much adrenaline, and I maybe need to control it a little bit, but I don’t try to do anything bad.

“It’s Yankees-Boston — everybody wants to win.”

On the mound, New York ace CC Sabathia remained cool with 10 strikeouts in six innings to notch his first win over the Red Sox this season and pull the Yankees (81-52) within a half-game of first-place Boston (82-52) in the division.

It was far from smooth sailing, however, as Sabathia (18-7)allowed 10 hits and dodged a Red Sox offense that stranded 16 runners on base.

In the end, the big left-hander helped the Yankees reverse their recent fortunes against a team that had entered the game with a 10-2 record over the Bronx Bombers this campaign.

“It’s a big win against a team that we’re chasing,” Sabathia said. “I’ve been struggling a little. I felt I had good stuff.”

Eric Chavez had RBI singles in the second inning and fourth to give New York an early 3-0 lead, but the Red Sox responded with two scores in the bottom of the fourth.

Cervelli hit a solo homer for the visitors in the fifth and the Yankees bullpen carried the team home.

Reliever Boone Logan got the final two outs of the seventh with the bases loaded, and Mariano Rivera came on in the ninth to lock down his 35th save of the year.

Carl Crawford hit a home run as the Red Sox racked up 13 hits but went just 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

Lackey allowed all five runs in seven innings to fall to 12-10 on the year.

(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Ian Ransom)

TORONTO (AP) — Returning from a well-earned break, Ricky Romero was soon worn out from facing the patient New York Yankees.

CC Sabathia won his seventh straight start to become the first 14-game winner in the majors, Brett Gardner had three hits and the Yankees beat Toronto 4-1 on Saturday, ending the Blue Jays‘ five-game winning streak.

Pitching for the first time in 10 days, Romero insisted he wasn’t rusty after not working in so long.

“If anything I felt like I needed a little bit of a rest,” Romero said. “It was a long first half. For me I felt good, I was just a little wild, I wasn’t myself.”

Toronto’s ace left-hander lost his second straight start and has won just once in five outings. Romero (7-9) threw 107 pitches in five innings and said it was a grind facing the Yankees.

“I felt good in the bullpen, I just got a little wild and got my pitch count up high,” Romero said. “These guys aren’t going to swing at bad pitches, they’re going to make you pitch and that’s what they did.”

Blue Jays manager John Farrell agreed that taking on New York often means a draining day for a pitcher.

“They are tough opponents, they’ll take close pitches,” Farrell said. “They’re re not afraid to get to two strikes and continue to take a very solid approach.”

Romero has now failed to pitch into the seventh in three straight games after doing so in each of his previous nine outings. He allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits in five innings, walked three and struck out seven.

The Yankees got back in the win column after losing their first two games following the All-Star break. Their last victory was Sabathia’s most recent start, July 10 against Tampa, the day before the All-Star break.

“To not win for a week, and that’s what it felt like because we hadn’t played for a few days, you need a win,” manager Joe Girardi said. “CC went out and got one for us.”

Sabathia (14-4) allowed one run and three hits in eight innings. He walked three and struck out eight.

“He’s great, he is every time,” Gardner said of Sabathia. “You guys keep asking me how he is and it seems like every time I tell you the same thing: he’s just dominant.”

Gardner doubled in the second, hustled for a double and scored in the fourth, then stole second after reaching on a bunt single in the sixth.

Derek Jeter got two hits and matched Al Kaline for 26th place on baseball’s career list. Jeter singled in the ninth for hit No. 3,007.

Sabathia has struck out 59 and posted an ERA of 1.68 over his seven-start winning streak. The left-hander has won 11 of his past 12 outings, his only defeat in that span being a June 9 home loss to Boston.

“His slider was good today,” Girardi said. “I thought all his stuff was good. His velocity was great, his changeup was very good. He just knows how to pitch.”

New York’s staff ace set down 12 of 13 at one stretch and allowed just one extra-base hit, John McDonald’s double to left in the eighth.

“CC was very good,” Farrell said. “There were not a lot of opportunities to take advantage of.”

After accusations in the first game of the series that Toronto was stealing signs, catcher Russell Martin gave pitcher Freddy Garcia multiple signs Friday. But Sabathia and batterymate Francisco Cervelli didn’t bother with that.

“Me and Cervi talked about it before the game and just used a different set than we normally use with a runner on second. I don’t really think it’s something that you can really do anything about. You just go out and try to pitch,” he said.

Mariano Rivera pitched around a pair of singles to finish in the ninth for his 23rd save in 27 chances. New York got some much-needed rest for its bullpen, which had worked 10 1-3 innings of relief in the previous two games as Toronto outscored the Yankees 23-8.

Sabathia’s career-long streak of 23 2-3 scoreless innings came to an early end when Toronto scratched out a run in the first. Rajai Davis led off with a walk and stole second before coming home on Yunel Escobar’s single up the middle. Escobar has reached safely in 21 straight games.

The Yankees gave Sabathia a lead he would not relinquish with a two-run second against Romero. Nick Swisher doubled and scored on a single, Gardner doubled and Eduardo Nunez followed with an RBI groundout.

New York added one more in each of the third and fourth innings.

Starting as the designated hitter, Curtis Granderson walked to open the third and went to third on a one-out single by Robinson Cano. After Romero’s pitch to Jones bounced away from catcher J.P. Arencibia, Cano made a move toward second. When Arencibia threw to second baseman Aaron Hill, Granderson broke for the plate and scored easily when Hill’s errant throw sailed to the backstop.

Gardner doubled to begin the fourth, moved up on Nunez’s sacrifice bunt and scored on a two-out single by Jeter.

For Jeter, the RBI was his 1,160th, tying him with Tony Lazzeri for eighth place on the Yankees’ all-time list.

NOTES: Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista (right ankle) missed his second straight game after injuring himself on a slide Thursday. Bautista, who leads the majors with 31 home runs, is still wearing a walking boot but said swelling in the ankle has gone down and that he can put more weight on it. … Toronto has lost 11 of 17 at home. … New York RHP Rafael Soriano (elbow) threw at the Yankees’ spring training complex in Florida but RHP Mark Prior (groin) was scratched from his appearance with the Gulf Coast Yankees. … Attendance was 45,606, Toronto’s biggest crowd since opening day (47,984). … Yankees RHP Phil Hughes (0-2) faces Blue Jays RHP Carlos Villanueva (5-1) in Sunday’s series finale.

By TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer

CLEVELAND (AP) – Derek Jeter’s bid for one of baseball’s most hallowed milestones, the 3,000-hit club, a place none of the New York Yankees’ other greats ever reached, is almost complete.

It’s right there, right in front of Jeter, the 37-year-old whose game may have faded but who remains one of the game’s biggest stars.

He’ll get to 3,000. It’s not a matter of if, but when.

And, where?

Jeter got two hits – an infield grounder and two-run double – giving him 2,996 in his superb career and CC Sabathia took out any anger for being snubbed as an All-Star by striking out 11 in seven shutout innings Tuesday night, leading the Yankees to a 9-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians.

Jeter’s ascent on history is nearly over. He’s one, maybe two or three games away from becoming the 28th major leaguer – and first in pinstripes – to reach 3,000 hits. The journey has been a challenging one for the 12-time All-Star, whose game has been scrutinized as never before, and who recently missed three weeks with a calf injury.

He’s having the worst statistical season of his career, and following the game, Jeter candidly said the criticism has robbed some of the enthusiasm from what should be a celebration.

“You’d like to enjoy it. It has been difficult, you know, when you’re constantly asked questions that are a little different,” Jeter said as two dozen reporters and an HBO camera crew surrounded his locker. “But, to be honest with you, I’m going to try to enjoy it from now on and keep things as positive as we can.”

Jeter doesn’t know yet if he’ll play Wednesday in the series finale. Yankees manager Joe Girardi wants to give Jeter some rest and might sit his captain before the team returns to New York to open a four-game series against Tampa Bay on Thursday. If it were left up to Jeter, he’d be in the lineup every day. He’d also love to face Indians starter Justin Masterson, who has given up five hits in 12 at-bats to Jeter.

“I’ve sat for three weeks,” Jeter said. “It would be hard to sit if I had no hits today or six hits. I want to play.”

Girardi will consult with Jeter, “sleep on it” and then make the final call.

“I want to talk to him, think about it and I’ll go from there,” said Girardi, who seemed to be leaning toward sitting Jeter on Wednesday. “He’s four hits away, and as I’ve said, my concern is us winning ballgames and him being healthy.”

Girardi said he has not gotten any pressure to keep Jeter out until the team gets to New York, so he can get his 3,000th hit at Yankee Stadium.

“No one has ever said a word to me about where he should do it,” Girardi said.

Curtis Granderson hit a two-run homer in the second and a solo shot in the fourth off Carlos Carrasco (8-5) for the Yankees, who had eight players with at least two hits.

Sabathia (12-4) allowed five hits, walked two and overpowered the team that drafted him in 1998 and traded him 10 years later. Despite leading the league in wins and going 9-1 in his last 10 starts, Sabathia was left off the AL roster for the July 12 All-Star game in Phoenix.

Sabathia dominated the Indians, who put two runners on to start the fifth before Sabathia struck out the side on 10 pitches.

He also struck out three in the fourth and seventh, and has 33 Ks in his last 22 2-3 innings.

“I wasn’t thinking about the All-Star game, not at all,” Sabathia said. “I just wanted to help my team win.”

Sabathia saved New York’s bullpen, which was without closer Mariano Rivera. He missed his second straight game because of a sore triceps muscle and hopes to be back for the series finale.

Indians All-Star shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera left in the fourth with a sprained right ankle

Jeter returned to the lineup on Monday after missing three weeks with a calf injury. He went 0 for 4 in his return, but looked more like one of the game’s superstars in his second game.

The Yankees’ captain singled in his first at-bat, hitting a slow roller toward third that Orlando Cabrera charged but couldn’t make a barehanded pickup as Jeter barreled down the line. In the second, Jeter doubled home two runs off Carrasco, who had pitched seven shutout innings against New York on June 13.

The double had to be pleasing to Jeter, who hasn’t hit many balls with authority this season.

“I don’t care how I get hits; I have no ego whatsoever,” he said. “It did feel good to hit the ball good. It’s the hardest-hit ball I’ve hit in three weeks.”

Jeter also made a nice defensive play in the sixth, stabbing a grounder behind second before making a spin and throw to first to get Orlando Cabrera.

“It’s great to see him get into the flow,” Sabathia said about Jeter. “That double was hit hard. Going for 3,000 hits in the same uniform, the Yankee uniform, is big, exciting. We’ve all been pulling for him, actually, every time up the whole year. It is just exciting to see him back. That play he made where he went behind second base was big, too.”

Granderson’s two-run homer in the second made it 5-0, and the slight but powerful center fielder led off the fourth with his 25th homer, surpassing his total from last season. He’s just the fifth Yankee in the past 50 years to hit at least 25 homers before the break, joining Mark Teixeira (25, this season), Alex Rodriguez (30 in 2007), Tino Martinez (28 in 1997) and Jason Giambi (27 in 2006 and 26 in 2003).

Jeter’s two-run double highlighted the Yankees’ five-run second off Carrasco, who nearly worked his way out of the big inning without giving up anything.

New York loaded the bases with one out before Carrasco got No. 9 hitter Francisco Cervelli to hit a tailor-made, inning-ending double play ball to shortstop. Asdrubal Cabrera flipped it to second for the force, but second baseman Cord Phelps threw a one-hopper that first baseman Carlos Santana couldn’t handle.

One run scored on the play, and instead of being in the dugout, Carrasco had to face Jeter, who made it 3-0 by lacing a two-run double into the gap in left-center.

Jeter could get to 3,000 in his next game. He’s had plenty of four-hit games before – even a pair of five-hit games.

In any event, he knows how many he needs for baseball immortality.

“I’ve been sitting on six for three weeks,” he said. “I’ve always been good at math. We’ll see what happens.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Boston Red Sox exploded for seven runs in the seventh inning to complete a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees with an 8-3 victory in a rain-delayed game that ended early on Friday morning.

Trailing 2-0, Boston sent 11 batters to the plate and stroked eight hits in the seventh as Yankees starter CC Sabathia crumbled after giving up just two hits in the first six innings.

It was the seventh win in a row for the Red Sox (36-26) over their arch rivals as Boston increased their American League East lead over New York (33-27) to two games.

“They outhit us, outpitched us,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters. “We’ll be back. I still think we’re a very good team.”

Red Sox starter Josh Beckett pitched seven innings, allowing two runs on just four hits to improve his record to 5-2. The only blemish against him was Curtis Granderson’s 18th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the first.

Sabathia fell to 7-4 in a game that did not begin until 10.32 p.m. because of a three-and-a-half hour rain delay with only a smattering of the sellout crowd of nearly 49,000 at Yankee Stadium staying to the bitter end.

Every player in the Red Sox lineup got at least one hit with David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez each driving in two runs with two hits apiece in the 12-hit attack.

Boston, winners of eight of nine games this season against the Yankees, outscored New York 25-13 during their three-day trip to the Bronx. The teams do not meet again until August.

“There’s a lot of baseball to be played until we see them again,” Girardi added. “This was not how you want it (the series) to end, but you can’t have a hangover. You’ve got to go out and play a game tomorrow.”

Beckett struck out six, walked two and hit three Yankee batters with pitches. Two New York hitters were hit by pitches in the series opener.

Ortiz, who homered in each of the first two games, was hit in the thigh by a Sabathia fastball in the fourth inning and the home plate umpire warned both teams that the next incident would result in the ejection of the pitcher.

In the clubhouse after the game, Ortiz delivered a brief, expletive-laced rant at reporters gathered around his locker, blaming the media for the apparent retaliation by Sabathia.

(Editing by John O’Brien)