Tue Jul 8 22:25:04 2008

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Pettite's gem leads Yankees past Rays

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Bronx, NY (Sports Network) - Andy Pettitte threw eight brilliant innings, while Melky Cabrera hit his first home run at Yankee Stadium since May 4, and the New York Yankees crushed the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays, 5-0, in the opener of a two-game set at Yankee Stadium.

Derek Jeter was 2-for-4 and had two RBI for the Yankees, who have won three straight and are 4-2 over their last six contests, cutting their deficit to 7 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay for the lead in the AL East; the Red Sox trail the Rays by three games, as Boston beat Minnesota, 6-5,on Tuesday.

Pettitte (10-6) allowed just four hits and fanned five batters, putting him at 1,501 strikeouts in a Yankee uniform.

B.J. Upton was 2-for-4 and had the only extra-base hit for Tampa Bay, which has dropped its last two after rattling off seven victories in a row.

Scott Kazmir (7-4) took the loss as he was touched for two runs on five hits in just five innings of work.

It was second and third with no outs as Robinson Cano led off the third with a single and Jose Molina followed with a double. Brett Gardner and Cabrera then went down swinging, but Jeter slapped a two-run double to right, giving the Yankees a 2-0 lead.

The Rays threatened to no avail in the seventh inning. Upton led off with a single and stole second base. Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria then went down swinging, but Dioner Navarro singled to put runners on the corners. Willy Aybar hit a grounder to the left side of the infield, but Jeter made a spectacular play to end the inning.

New York added some insurance runs in the eighth inning. Cabrera opened the frame with a homer off of Gary Glover and Jeter kept it going with a single. Bobby Abreu then cracked an RBI double to the corner in right and Jason Hammel was called on in relief.

Alex Rodriguez grounded out, but Jorge Posada was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. After Wilson Betemit hit a liner to center for the second out, Cano worked an 11-pitch at-bat, resulting in an RBI single to put the Yankees on top, 5-0.

Game Notes

Tampa Bay's record is 36-14 at home, but 19-20 on the road...Pettitte has dominated the Rays over the course of his career, posting a 15-4 mark. However, he is 2-2 against them this season...The Yankees improved to 6-5 in their 11 meetings with the Rays this season after winning the season series by a combined 23-13 the last two years.