GAME THREAD: AL: BALTIMORE (54-62) at NY YANKEES (66-51)

Jeter bails out Rivera in Yankees win over Orioles

<h3>NY YANKEES 7, BALTIMORE 6</h3>By Larry Fleisher
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


BRONX, New York (Ticker) - Since the All-Star break the New YorkYankees have led the majors in many categories. Blown savesand game-winning infield hits were not among them.

After Mariano Rivera blew his first save in nearly four months,Derek Jeter's infield single with one out in the bottom of theninth inning scored Melky Cabrera as the Yankees opened athree-game series against the Baltimore Orioles with a dramatic7-6 victory on Monday night.


The Yankees won for the ninth time in their last 10 games andalso improved to a major league-best 24-8 since reaching theAll-Star break at 43-43.


A majority of those wins have seen the formula of power hittingand reliable performances from Rivera but the opener against theOrioles, who posted two victories over Boston in their finalat-bat was anything but easy.


"That's why it's important to win yesterday," Yankees managerJoe Torre said after his team's fifth walk-off win. "You justcarry that over. We've been on the balls of our feet, we're notwaiting for something to happen. We're making things happen."

The Orioles opened a 3-0 lead in the first inning only to see iterased. They twice made it a one-run game, getting within 6-5on a pair of wild pitches by Ron Villone in the seventh.

"It just goes to show you, we're not going to give the gameaway," Baltimore manager Dave Tremblay said. "We're not goingto give at-bats away."


That set the stage for their meeting with Rivera, who had beenvirtually automatic in converting his last 19 save opportunitiesdating to April 20.


Rivera ran into trouble instantly as Melvin Mora singled toright-center field and took second on a groundout. Tike Redman,who had scored in the seventh, came up and lined a singleCabrera, who threw a perfect relay throw from center field tocatcher Jorge Posada.


"Everybody knows he throws a cutter," Redman said. "I've neverfaced him, just seen him a lot on TV. That's the best cutterI've ever seen. It just got in on me."


"I coached third base for a long time," said Tremblay, whoseteam is 10-23 in one-run contests. "It's easy to second-guessthe play. I think you play to win the game when you're on theroad."


Cabrera's outstanding throw prevented the game from being tied,but Brian Roberts singled to shallow right center and rightfielder Bobby Abreu's throw was off-target as Redman scored.

The Orioles failed to scored another run when Corey Pattersonflied out and Chad Bradford (1-5) came in to get the game intoextra innings. He got the first out but coincidentally as thescoreboard showed that Kyle Farnsworth was warming up, theYankees began their rally.


Cabrera started the rally when he was plunked by Bradford andwent to third on pinch hitter Jason Giambi's single to right.Moments later, he scored when Jeter hit a squibber that went offBradford's glove.


"My approach (was) to get a strike and hit it," said Jeter,whose infield hit also defeated Pittsburgh in the 10th inning onJune 8. "It wasn't a strike and I didn't hit too well. You'renot always going to hit it hard but just hit it in the rightspot."


"It's great," Rivera said. "Today I wasn't able to hold thelead, so the guys came back and scored."


Not only did Jeter's hit extend New York's latest winning streakto four games, it gave Rivera (3-3) the victory and showed thatthe Yankees can win one-run games. They improved to aseason-high 16 games over .500 (67-51) and have won six of theirlast eight games decided by a run.


"That's good," Abreu said. "I think with no matter what we'retrying to win the game and how we ended it today was a littleemotional for everybody. I think no matter what we showed (theresiliency) to just win the games.


Baltimore starter Jeremy Guthrie, who beat New York on July 27when he outpitched Andy Pettitte and limited them to two runsand six hits in six innings of a 4-2 victory, was not nearly aseffective in this one.


In his subsequent two starts, Guthrie allowed nine runs and 17hits in 9 1/3 innings against Boston and Seattle and early on,he was not sharp.


Staked to a 3-0 lead, Guthrie gave up a two-run home run toAbreu with one out in the first and a two-run shot to newlyacquired Wilson Betemit with one out in the second.

That put the Yankees in front 4-3 and they added to their leadwhen Cabrera extended his career-high hitting streak to 18 gameswith a two-out double in the fourth.


The Yankees added another run in the fifth when Posada's RBIsingle knocked out Guthrie, who allowed six runs and nine hitsin just 4 2/3 innings.


Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang, who allowed eight runs and ninehits in 2 2/3 innings last Wednesday in Toronto, gave up fiveruns and seven hits in six-plus frames.


The righthander opened the game by allowing the first fourOrioles to reach and faced a 2-0 deficit on Miguel Tejada's RBIsingle. Wang gave up another run when Kevin Millar bounced intoa double play but that began a stretch in which he recordednine of the next 14 outs on the ground.


That stretch ended when Corey Patterson homered in the fifth tocut the Yankees lead to 5-4, and the lead appeared to be injeopardy when Nick Markakis walked on four straight pitches. ButWang retired Tejada on inning-ending groundout and workedaround a one-out single to Aubrey Huff in the sixth.

Wang's night ended when Redman opened the seventh with a basehit. Villone recorded the first out but threw a pair of wildpitches that allowed Redman to score.


After allowing Redman to make it a one-run game, Villone neededone pitch to retire Markakis on a groundout to second.

Before Rivera blew his third save, rookie Joba Chamberlain madehis Yankee Stadium debut and struck out two in the eighth.