Yankees score five two-out runs to back Pettitte, 7-1

ANAHEIM, Calif. - On April 14, the Angels' Joel Piñeiro dominated the Yankees with a nearly unhittable sinker, allowing one run in seven innings. "We'll be ready for him the next time," Nick Swisher said.

They sure were. And Andy Pettitte proved more than ready for the fourth time in four starts.

Banging out 11 of their 14 hits off Piñeiro and getting another brilliant start from Pettitte, the Yankees rolled to a 7-1 victory over the Angels Saturday in front of 43,390 at Angel Stadium.

The Yankees (12-5) - only the third defending champion to win its first five series of the subsequent season and the first in 88 years - can win their sixth straight series as Javier Vazquez takes on Scott Kazmir today.

Robinson Cano had four hits and scored three runs for the Yankees. Brett Gardner, hitting second in place of Nick Johnson (lower-back stiffness) had three hits, including a triple. "When he was at our place [April 14], the sinker was the best I've ever seen," Gardner said of Piñiero. "Today, we took advantage of some balls he left up."

Swisher had two hits and two RBIs, Derek Jeter added two hits and Francisco Cervelli had a key two-out, two-run single in a three-run fourth. The Yankees scored five of their first six runs with two outs, including an RBI single by Jeter in the fourth and RBI singles by Cano and Swisher in the fifth that made it 6-0.

But Pettitte (3-0, 1.29) was the story, allowing one run and six hits in eight innings. He struck out eight and walked none in his 114-pitch afternoon. "That's huge for me," he said of the walk total. "Even though I've been feeling good with my command, I feel like I've been walking a few too many. For me, because I usually give up hits, three walks in a game is too many. Today, that was nice to keep that down."

Cervelli called Pettitte's afternoon "perfect" and said the lefty had "command of every pitch."

Pettitte got stronger as the game went on, striking out the side in the fifth and retiring 13 of his last 14 batters. "We've seen this before from Andy," Joe Girardi said. "Andy can be a devastating pitcher. You don't win as many games as he has not having good stuff and knowing how to pitch. He's on a roll."

Notes & quotes: Though he appeared to react coldly in the moments after running over Angels catcher Bobby Wilson on Friday night, Mark Teixeira did try that night to reach out to the rookie, who will have an MRI tomorrow. "I sent over about five messages saying I hoped he was doing all right," Teixeira said. Angels manager Mike Scioscia again called the play clean and Girardi shrugged off Teixeira's reaction immediately after the play (he went back to step on the plate and didn't even look at Wilson, a former teammate, who was sprawled in the dirt after suffering a concussion and an ankle injury). "This isn't the family reunion softball game," Girardi said . . . Alex Rodriguez was the DH, by far his preference over an outright day off. "I hate days off, I absolutely hate them," said Rodriguez, who went 1-for-5. "You just take the benefits of it and go from there." . . . Gardner cut down Mike Napoli at third on Brandon Wood's single to left in the third. Ramiro Peña robbed Juan Rivera of a hit in the second, diving full-body-extended to his left to spear the rocket.