Hughes' streak ends in ninth as White Sox win
Andy Pettitte tosses a pitch in the first inning in a game on July 30, 2009. (AP Photo)
Galleries
Yankees at White Sox
CHICAGO - One of the incredible streaks of the Yankees' season finally ended last night.
Phil Hughes, who had not allowed a run in his previous 16 relief outings (21 innings), gave up back-to-back singles to Jim Thome and Paul Konerko with one out in the ninth. And when Phil Coke allowed a two-out single up the middle to DeWayne Wise, the result was a 3-2 loss to the White Sox -- and the end of Hughes' streak.
Wise -- the outfielder who saved Mark Buehrle's perfect game last week by robbing Gabe Kapler of a home run in the ninth inning -- lined Coke's 2-and-2 pitch back through the middle at the pitcher's chest. Coke grazed the ball with the index finger protruding through his glove hole, but not enough to stop it from going into center. Melky Cabrera charged the ball but had no chance to throw out pinch runner Scott Podsednik at the plate.
The Yankees had tied it at 2-2 with two out in the ninth when Nick Swisher ripped Matt Thornton's 97-mph fastball into the seats in left. It was his 17th homer of the season.
"You get a guy like Matt Thornton, it feels like he's throwing about 120,” Swisher said. "I was just trying to get the barrel on it somehow.”
Joe Girardi thought Swisher's home run would set the stage for the Yankees' 33rd come-from-behind victory of the season. "I think we got something going," he said, "but it didn't turn out.”
Hughes (4-3) had not allowed a run since June 10 in Boston, when Kevin Youkilis hit a two-run homer.
"It's something that says I've been throwing the ball well and hopefully, I'll continue to do that,” Hughes said.
As for the streak, he said simply, "Good stretch, [time to] start a new one.”
After a 1-hour, 4-minute rain delay, both starters turned in exemplary outings, with Gavin Floyd just a shade better than Andy Pettitte, though neither got a decision.
After needing 59 pitches to get through the first three innings, Pettitte went 61/3 innings. He allowed two runs -- one earned -- and five hits, as his cutter worked as well as it has all season. Pettitte did not walk a batter and tied a season high with eight strikeouts.
Floyd gave up one run and four hits in 72/3 innings and tied a career high with 10 strikeouts.
For Pettitte, however, what stood out is having just one win in his last six starts. "We're not winning when I pitch right now," he said, "and that's frustrating to be sure.”
A bit of bad luck drove Pettitte from the game in the seventh.
Thome led off with a dribbler up the first-base line that Pettitte had a relatively easy play on, but as he reached to pick up the ball, his feet went out from under him and Thome reached on the error.
Pettitte struck out Konerko, but after A.J. Pierzynski hit a grounder off Alex Rodriguez's glove for an infield single, Girardi called for Hughes. He got Carlos Quentin to hit what looked like a perfect double-play ball to third, and Rodriguez -- who had a terrible night at the plate with three strikeouts -- made a good throw to Robinson Cano.
But Cano, often brilliant this season in turning two, threw the ball wide of first on the rightfield side. The wild throw, perhaps aided by Pierzynski's hard -- but clean -- slide, not only pulled Teixeira off the bag but bounced off his glove, and as he desperately tried to pick it up, Thome scored to make it 2-1.
"He was right on me," Cano said, "but if I get a good grip on the ball, I make a good throw.”
The Yankees had tied it in the sixth on Jose Molina's double and Johnny Damon's single.
Notes & quotes: Girardi said the information he received from doctors yesterday regarding Chien-Ming Wang's shoulder surgery was that he could be back in the majors in "up to 12 months.” He did not have a low-end estimate.
Teixeira said the news that the Rays' Matt Garza hit him intentionally Wednesday wasn't surprising. But he was surprised Garza admitted it to reporters. "That's a suspension waiting to happen when you admit something like that,” he said with a smile. "But like I said, that's [getting hit] part of the game.” Teixeira was hit in the right shoulder an inning after Joba Chamberlain's pitch sailed over Evan Longoria's head.
Shelley Duncan did not play the second game of Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's doubleheader yesterday, fueling speculation he could be the righthanded hitter called up in time for tonight's game, the first of three straight against lefty starters.
Buehrle, who threw the 18th perfect game in major-league history July 23 and wound up retiring a major league-record 45 batters in a row, was honored on the field. He will face the Yankees Sunday.
