Yankees Offense Bounce's Back After a Tough Week

nytimes.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

June 3^rd, 2013

Cleveland Indians vs New York Yankees

Final Score: Indians 4 Yankees 7

The New York Yankees were able to bounce back from a difficult week against the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox on Monday with a nice 7-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians. The win moves the Yankees to (32-25) o
n the year, and 2.5 games behind the Red Sox for first place in the AL East.

Andy Pettitte made his return to the rotation on Monday, but it didn’t go to smoothly for Pettitte in the no decision. Former Yankee Nick Swisher got a nice ovation in his return to Yankees Stadium, and got the Indians on the board in the third inning with a RBI ground out. The rest of the damage the Indians did to Pettitte came in the fifth inning, when Mike Aviles hit a sac-fly scoring Drew Stubbs, and then later in the inning Carlos Santana hit a ground-rule double scoring Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher. The RBI double by Santana also chased Andy Pettitte from the game, as Pettitte finished going just 4.2 innings allowing four runs on seven hits, and three walks. Pettitte was going for his 250^th win, and was spotted a three-run lead, but he was unable to hold on to it, so he will have to wait for another attempt at win number 250 until later in the week.

Indians Starter Justin Masterson, like Pettitte also struggled on Monday, and picked up his fourth loss of the season. Masterson was having a very good season and the Yankees offense was struggling badly coming into this game, but facing Masterson seemed to spark something in the Yankees order. Mark Teixeira got the Yankees on the board in the third inning with a wall scrapping Grand Slam, which was his first home run of the season, and just his second hit since coming back from the DL, but it was a big one. The Yankees fifth and sixth runs of the game came in the sixth inning on Masterson, as Brett Gardner hit a single to Center Field scoring Ichiro Suzuki and Austin Romine. Masterson may have cost himself a run by cutting off the throw, which looked to have Romine dead to rights at the plate. The birthday boy Travis Hafner, who was slumping badly like many Yankees coming into this one hit his ninth home run of the season in the seventh inning off Masterson, which led to Masterson's exit.

The bullpen for the Yankees was sensational in this one, as Shawn Kelley came in early to relieve Pettitte, and with 1.1 scoreless innings picked up his third win of the season. Joba Chamberlain seems to have locked in the seventh inning role with a scoreless inning striking out two batters. The eighth inning as always belonged to David Robertson, who made quick work of the Indians on just 10 pitches, while getting his 12^th hold of the season. Mariano Rivera came in to close out the Indians in the ninth, and despite a lead-off single, Rivera earned his 20^th save of the season.

Indians Star Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera came up lame in the fifth inning with a quad injury, and was forced to leave the game. After the game Cabrera was place on the DL, so the Yankees won't be seeing him for the rest of the series.

Game 2 of the series will have the pitching match-up of David Phelps (3-3, 4.65) against Scott Kazmir (3-2, 5.13), as the Yankees will hope for a bounce back start from Phelps after the disaster against the Mets.