The Yankees bats finally got going after Joe Girardi was thrown out of the game after arguing a call in the sixth inning, and Joba Chamberlain pitched a solid game for the Yankees (39-32) to beat the Braves (34-37) 8-4.
Quick ‘Cap:
The Yankees’ first base runner came in the sixth inning when Brett Gardner walked, but soon he was picked off causing Girardi to storm out of the dugout and eventually get tossed from the game. Francisco Cervelli hit his first career homer five pitches later to tie the game at one. The Yankees scored twice more when Alex Rodriguez came through with two out and the bases loaded.
The Yankees tacked on one in the seventh, and two in the eighth and ninth innings. Joba Chamberlain allowed a solo shot to Jeff Francoeur in the fifth inning, and two more runs in the seventh (one earned).
After Brian Bruney let one score in the eighth, the Yankees brought on Mariano Rivera for a four-out save. He struck out Kelly Johnson on a nasty cutter to end the eighth, and then did his thing in the ninth for his 16th save of the season. Full box score here.
Thoughts:
It’s about time the Yankees hit well and pitched well in the same game. They made another error (Chamberlain throw), but Atlanta committed two. It was pretty cool to see all 10 of the hits for the Yankees in the sixth inning or later.
Line of the Night:
Mariano Rivera: 1-1/3 IP, zeroes, 4 K. You can’t pitch any better than that.
Up Next:
Thursday night’s rubber match features Andy Pettitte (7-3, 4.26) and Derek Lowe (7-5, 4.08)
