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  Monday, Aug. 14 8:35pm ET
Pettitte strong as Yankees whip Rangers
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Andy Pettitte keeps taking advantage of the offensive support he's getting from the New York Yankees.

Pettitte pitched seven strong innings before tiring in the eighth, getting his fifth straight win as the New York Yankees continued their dominance over Texas with a 7-3 victory Monday night. New York has averaged 7.4 runs in Pettitte's 23 starts.

Pettitte (14-6) gave up only four hits while shutting out Texas the first seven innings, but the Rangers started the eighth with three straight singles, the third by Chad Curtis driving home a run. Pettitte was pulled after he hit Rusty Greer to load the bases with no outs.

"The guys scored runs for me and I got in a good rhythm," said Pettitte, whose 14 wins matched Texas' Rick Helling for second-most in the AL. "I felt in so much control, then there are a couple of groundballs that get through and a blooper over shortstop. All of a sudden it's tense."

But not too tense for the Yankees, who have won nine straight against the Rangers, including all six this season and a three-game sweep in the first round of last year's playoffs. New York has won 39 of 49 between the teams since the opening game of the 1996 playoffs.

Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter both hit long two-run homers for the Yankees.

Despite the shaky ending, Pettitte has given up only 10 earned runs over the 35 2/3 innings he has pitched during his five-game winning streak. He struck out three and walked one.

"He was terrific. He's done a nice, quiet job of really settling this pitching staff," manager Joe Torre said. "He's in a zone right know. He knows what to do."

New York led 2-0 after just two batters were up. Jeter was hit on the leg by a pitch and Posada followed with his 22nd homer of the season, a 424-foot blast to left.

"I've been working all week throwing the slider into right-handed hitters. It was a good pitch and I didn't think he could do anything with it," said Matt Perisho, who lost his fifth straight decision.

Jeter, who had a leadoff double in the fifth, hit a 412-foot homer to left-center when the Yankees scored three runs in the sixth. Tino Martinez led off the inning with a double and scored on Scott Brosius' single before Jeter's 11th homer of the season.

Brosius added an RBI double in the eighth.

Perisho (2-5), 0-5 in 10 starts since a win June 17 at Tampa Bay, struck out eight in six innings. He gave up eight hits and walked three.

"I've been working on mechanics and getting my fastball over for strikes," Perisho said. "Overall, I thought I made some good pitches all night."

Yankees rookie reliever Randy Choate walked the only batter he faced, Rafael Palmeiro, to force home a run in the eighth. Jeff Nelson then coaxed an infield popout from Gabe Kapler, who earlier extended the longest hitting streak in the majors this season to 27 games.

Mike Stanton got the last two outs of the eighth, but not before pinch-hitter Frank Catalanotto drove in another run with a fielder's choice grounder.

Game notes
Paul O'Neill, who struck out three times against Perisho, has just two hits in 29 at-bats (.069) and is hitless in 14 at-bats. ... The Yankees have won 13 of their last 16 games in Arlington, including a three-game series sweep in April. ... Texas RHP Ryan Glynn, who fainted in the dugout after being pulled from his last game, was scratched from his scheduled start Wednesday. Medical tests haven't determined why Glynn passed out in the dugout after being taken out of Friday night's game. ... At 54-62, Texas is eight games below .500 for the first time since the end of the 1997 season. ... Luis Alicea snapped an 0-for-16 slump with an eighth-inning single.
 


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