NEW YORK (AP) -- With the New York Yankees' starting pitching
already thinned by injury, there was cause for concern when Andy
Pettitte grabbed for his groin.
Pettitte took a shutout into the sixth inning before leaving
with tightness in his left groin and New York took advantage of Tom
Glavine's wildness to beat the Atlanta Braves 7-4 Friday night.
"It's obviously a concern," Pettitte said. "We'll see how it
feels tomorrow or the next day. I just want to take care of it. I
don't want it to linger."
The Yankees can't afford to lose their most durable pitcher -- especially with Orlando Hernandez already on the disabled list with
an injured left toe.
Pettitte will be re-evaluated Saturday, but preliminary tests
done during the game showed good strength in the leg and Pettitte
was optimistic that he could make his next start.
"I hope it doesn't get worse overnight," Yankees manager Joe
Torre said. "If he has to miss a start, he'll miss a start. With
the strength in his leg that was good news. Tomorrow we'll know
more."
The injury to Pettitte (7-4) dampened the Yankees' fourth win in
five games. The Braves had won a season-high six straight.
Bernie Williams and Scott Brosius homered and Glavine (6-4)
walked seven as New York won the first game between the teams at
Yankee Stadium since its World Series sweep in 1999.
"We just won six in a row," Atlanta's Andruw Jones said.
"It's one of those games where we were just a little bit off."
This matchup lacked the intensity of the past October showdowns
between the Yankees and Braves. The luster from earlier interleague
matchups wasn't evident, either.
Pettitte was in complete control until the injury. The Braves
got only three hits and one runner to second base in 5 1-3 innings
against the left-hander.
"I felt as strong tonight as I felt all year," Pettitte said.
"That may be why I aggravated it. I was firing off the mound
really hard tonight. I had great velocity."
With one out in the sixth, Pettitte came up lame on the
follow-through on his first pitch to Rafael Furcal. He hopped on
the mound and reached for his groin area.
"I think everybody holds his breath a little bit," Brosius
said of seeing Pettitte hurt.
Trainer Steve Donohue rushed out to the mound, followed by
pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre and Torre. After two warmup pitches,
Pettitte was replaced by Mike Stanton.
"I felt it when my leg came over on the first one and when I
pushed off on the second," Pettitte said. "I didn't want to risk
anything."
Stanton retired five straight batters as the Yankees ran their
scoreless streak to 18 innings before Brian Boehringer gave up two
runs each in the eighth and ninth.
Mariano Rivera came on with two outs and a man on first in the
ninth and struck out Mark DeRosa for his 18th save in 20 chances.
Glavine, bothered by a bruised left thumb his previous start,
allowed five runs -- four earned -- and five hits in five innings.
Glavine struggled with Lance Barksdale's tight strike zone as well,
matching his career high in walks. Glavine last walked seven
against the Chicago Cubs on May 29, 1994.
"He was just a little bit off target and the strike zone was a
little bit tight for both sides," Braves manager Bobby Cox said.
Glavine left the stadium immediately after the game when he got
news that his wife's grandfather had died.
Williams hit a solo homer in the first and Brosius added a
two-run shot in the fourth inning. Glavine then walked Todd Greene
and gave up singles to Alfonso Soriano and Chuck Knoblauch that
loaded the bases with one out.
Derek Jeter hit a potential inning-ending double play grounder
to third baseman Chipper Jones. But Jones misplayed the ball for a
run-scoring error to make it 4-0. Glavine then walked Williams to
score another run.
"We showed a lot of patience tonight," Torre said. "That was
a big key for us. He's not going to give in."
Jorge Posada, starting for the first time since Sunday because
of a sore left thumb, added a two-run double in the sixth for New
York.
Game notes
The Yankees are 8-6 in interleague games against the
Braves. ... Pettitte picked Quilvio Veras off first base in the
third inning, giving him four this season and 58 for his career.
... Glavine has given up 5.1 walks per nine innings this season. He
entered the year averaging only 3.0 walks per nine. ... Pettitte
has been the Yankees' most durable starter this season, completing
at least six innings in his first 12 starts before Friday.