Yankees halt skid with win over Tribe

4/28/2008

CLEVELAND - Chien-Ming Wang shut down Cleveland for seven innings and outpitched C.C. Sabathia, who gave up a home run to Melky Cabrera as the Yankees snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Indians 1-0.

Wang (5-0) allowed four hits, struck out a season-high nine, and became the AL's only five-game winner. Only one Cleveland runner reached third against the right-hander, who made 113 pitches and got the Yankees back to .500.

But Wang's fine outing was overshadowed by news that catcher Jorge Posada is headed for the disabled list.

Posada was a late scratch from the starting lineup. He said he felt pain in his shoulder after a throw on Saturday, and when he came to the ballpark yesterday he couldn't even have a game of catch.

Wang got help from reliever Joba Chamberlain, who pitched a perfect eighth in his first appearance in Cleveland since Game 2 of last year's playoffs.

Mariano Rivera worked a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out two for his seventh save. After Wang gave up a leadoff single in the fifth, the Indians didn't manage another hit.

Sabathia (1-4) dropped to 1-8 in regular-season games against the Yankees. The defending AL Cy Young winner pitched eight strong innings, giving up just four hits - one of them a one-out homer in the fifth inning to Cabrera, who pulled a first-pitch changeup.

"He put a good swing on it and hit it out of the park," Sabathia said with a shrug.

Center fielder Grady Sizemore sat because of a sore right ankle, ending the majors' longest consecutive games streak at 382. Sizemore called his injury a "mild sprain" and manager Eric Wedge doesn't think the all-star will go on the DL.

Locked in an October-like pitching matchup, Sabathia gave up a leadoff single to Robinson Cano in the fifth, then picked the second baseman off first.

Cleveland's crowd had just quieted when Cabrera drove Sabathia's next pitch over the wall in left. It was Cabrera's fifth homer, and sixth allowed by Sabathia in 32 innings this season.

NOTE: Cleveland called up

outfielder Brad Snyder of

Bellevue, Ohio, from Triple-A Buffalo, optioning left-hander Jeremy Sowers to the Bisons.