Chen outduels Pettitte to claim his first postseason win
APIciro Suzuki of the Yankees spins past Orioles catcher Matt Witers' second attempt at a tag to score?on a double by Robinson Cano in the first inning of Game 2 of the ALDS on Monday in Baltimore.
By DAVID GINSBURG
updated 12:02 a.m. ET Oct. 9, 2012
BALTIMORE - Andy Pettitte slapped his glove, angry he had allowed another run.
For the New York Yankees, it was yet another night of missed chances.
Instead of winning both games at Camden Yards, the Yankees headed home with a split in their best-of-five AL division series against the Baltimore Orioles following a 3-2 loss in Game 2 Monday night.
"It was obviously a frustrating game and one you hate to lose," Pettitte said. "It would have been nice to be able to get this one, that's for sure."
And now when the series resumes Wednesday night, they face having to get at least one win from the back end of their rotation. The rest of the series will be played in the Bronx.
"Now it's a great format, right?" Yankees captain Derek Jeter said playfully. "We like playing at home, and I'm sure the fans will be ready."
Because the extra wild-card round was added after the schedule, for one-year only the format of the division series is 2-3 rather than the 2-2-1 that had been used since 1998.
"We've played very well at home, and we're going to have to continue to do that if we're going to move on," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "It seems like Baltimore and us have kind of went back and forth all year, and that's what we did here."
New York went 2 for 8 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10.
"Sometimes you hit the ball hard and it gets caught. Sometimes you drop one in at the right time," Russell Martin said.
Pettitte, the career leader in postseason wins (19) and starts (43), failed to hold a 1-0 lead provided by Ichiro Suzuki's acrobatic spin to touch home plate in the first inning. The 40-year-old left-hander, who came out of retirement last spring for moments like this, allowed three runs and seven hits in seven-plus innings, dropping his postseason mark to 19-11.
Chris Davis' two-run single in the third and Mark Reynolds' RBI single in the sixth built a 3-1 lead against Pettitte, who was frustrated with himself when he returned to the dugout. The hit by Davis on a slider was especially aggravating to him.
"That was a serious mistake by me in that situation," Pettitte said. "Obviously, that pretty much cost us the game."
Robinson Cano's double in the first drove in Suzuki, whose pirouette around catcher Matt Wieters earned style points in addition to a run.
Jeter pulled the Yankees within a run with an RBI single in the seventh against Wei-Yin Chen. But the captain also was part of New York's struggles at the plate with runners in scoring position, a problem all season.
New York loaded the bases with one out in the fourth against Wei-Yin Chen, but Eduardo Nunez popped out and Jeter grounded into a forceout.
"He was putting the ball where he wants," Cano said. "You've got to give them credit. There was nothing we could do."
With runners at second and third and two outs in the seventh, Nick Swisher flied out against Brian Matusz, dropping to 1 for 33 (.030) with runners in scoring position in postseason play.
And a night after scoring five runs in the ninth against All-Star reliever Jim Johnson to win 7-2, the Yankees saw just 12 pitches in a 1-2-3 ninth against Baltimore's closer. Alex Rodriguez, 1 for 9 with five strikeouts in the series, fanned for the final out.
These teams have split 20 games this year. During the regular season, the Orioles took two of three in all three series at Yankee Stadium.
"It's nothing to go crazy about," Martin said. "I feel like we're a good team and we're going to bounce back, and we're going to give them a hard time back home."
Last year, the Yankees won their first-round opener against Detroit but were knocked out in five games. In 2010, they beat Texas in Game 1 of the AL championship series but lost in six.
Not the type of history New York wants to repeat.
? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/49337630/ns/sports-baseball/
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