No one is saying they want to see Javier Vazquez in a crucial playoff game, but the just turned 36-yr old has stuck it to many of the nay-sayers he booed him mercilessly at the start of the season. Monday night Vazquez limited the Indians to two runs and five hits over seven innings and got a boost from a late Curtis Granderson home run for a 3-2 Yankees win.
Vazquez has allowed three earned runs or less in eight of his last 10 starts and has gone 6-2 over that time frame. Last night he gave up a solo home run to Travis Hafner in the 2nd inning and fell behind 2-1 when he surrendered an RBI double in the 5th to Shin-Soo Choo.
But Granderson bailed him out when he drilled a Jake Westbrook delivery into the right field seats with a man aboard for a 3-2 Yankees lead in the 8th. Joe Girardi allowed Vazquez, who had thrown 92 pitches to that point, to start the bottom of the 8th, but quickly pulled him when he walked the lead off hitter. David Robertson got Asdrubel Cabrera to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play before Boone Logan came on to strike out Choo for the final out of the inning. Mariano Rivera earned his 21st save with a scoreless 9th inning.
The Yankees had managed just two hits off of Westbrook through the first seven innings, though one of them was a Nick Swisher solo home run. Posada led off the 8th with a single through the left side to set the stage for Granderson, who has now hit three home runs in the last two games.
Notes
After hitting .240 in the first half of the season, Granderson is hitting at a .306 clip since the All-Star break. He also has a .958 OPS in his last 10 games.
CC Sabathia makes his 2nd start against his old team tonight. He'll face 25-yr old right-hander Josh Tomlin, who is making his major league debut.
Alex Rodriguez will go for his 600th home run tonight on his 35th birthday.
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