Yankees' six homers not enough in 10-8 loss

Andy Pettitte was supposed to restore order to a splintered rotation. He was supposed to give the Yankees something to build on as they embark on their final three series of the season with the AL East title at stake. But that proved to be wishful thinking.

A night after CC Sabathia surrendered 10 hits and was charged with seven runs against Tampa Bay, Pettitte did the same Friday night against Boston, giving up seven runs (six earned) and a season-high 10 hits in 31/3 innings.

On almost any other night, six home runs - including two each by Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira - would have been enough for a dramatic, Stadium-rocking comeback. But the Yankees fell behind by nine runs in the top of the fifth, and although they brought the tying run to the plate with two outs in the ninth, they fell to the Red Sox, 10-8.

"The guys battled their tails off,'' Pettitte said, "and that makes it hurt even worse."

Teixeira's two-out home run off Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth brought the Yankees within two runs before Rodriguez walked on a 3-and-2 pitch. But the Red Sox closer struck out Robinson Cano on a low 2-and-2 splitter that would have been ball three to earn his 37th save.

The Yankees (92-62) fell a half-game behind the Rays (92-61), who defeated Seattle, 5-3. Since winning eight straight to move to a season-high 36 games over .500 at 86-50, the Yankees have gone 6-12.

Rodriguez, who drove in three runs, passed Sammy Sosa for sole possession of sixth place on the all-time home run list with 610. Ken Griffey Jr. is fifth at 630. A-Rod, seeking his 13th straight season with at least 30 home runs, has 27 homers and 116 RBIs.

The night began promisingly for Pettitte (11-3), who threw only 10 pitches in the first inning. But Jed Lowrie (four hits) jump-started the Boston offense, hitting an opposite-field three-run homer to rightfield in the second inning. The Red Sox took a 7-1 lead in the fourth on a two-run double by Darnell McDonald and Marco Scutaro's two-run single.

Pettitte threw only 75 pitches, 46 for strikes, before being replaced by Jonathan Albaladejo, who allowed a three-run homer to Bill Hall with two outs in the fifth to make it 10-1.

"It's somewhat concerning," Joe Girardi said of Pettitte. "It would've been nice to get him up to 90 and feel good about that. But we didn't get there so we'll have to deal with it . . . It's not what you want to see, but I believe in Andy."

Though Pettitte's velocity and arm strength looked good, Girardi cited his lack of fastball command as the biggest issue.

Said Pettitte: "I just couldn't get anything going. I really felt like I couldn't get any kind of rhythm . . . It's frustrating. I had an opportunity to try to keep us close, just give us a chance, and that's all I ever try to do. And I didn't do that tonight."

The Yankees received back-to-back solo homers by Teixeira and Rodriguez off winning pitcher Josh Beckett (6-5) in the sixth, making the score 10-3. It was the eighth time this season the Yankees have homered back-to-back.

After Nick Swisher's two-run homer in the seventh trimmed the deficit to 10-5, Red Sox manager Terry Francona called on Scott Atchison, but he walked Teixeira and gave up a two-run blast to Rodriguez to make the score 10-7.

Earlier, Teixeira - who has been battling a deep bone bruise in his right thumb and a broken right pinkie toe since Aug. 31 - snapped his homerless streak at 75 at-bats. He has 32 homers, 103 RBIs and an American League-leading 109 runs scored.

Curtis Granderson (three hits) hit his 22nd home run in the third.