News » soon for the struggling New York Yankees offence

MINNEAPOLIS -- Andy Pettitte has seen Robinson Canos sweet left-handed swing for so long that he can almost tell when a hot streak is coming. The way Cano was launching balls all over Target Field on Monday night, Pettitte thinks another tear is right around the corner, and not a moment too soon for the struggling New York Yankees offence. Cano homered twice and Pettitte broke Whitey Fords club record for career strikeouts to help New York snap a five-game skid with a 10-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins. "Its impressive," Pettitte said, marveling at Canos 435-foot solo shot in the first inning and an opposite-field homer in the third. "Hopefully he can keep it going. But what a talent he is. Its fun to watch him hit." Zoilo Almonte had three hits and two RBIs as the slumbering Yankees offence woke up with seven runs in the last two innings to reach double digits for the first time since May 10. Struggling reliever Jared Burton (1-6) gave up three runs and three hits while getting only one out for the Twins, who coughed up another eighth-inning lead. Ryan Doumit had two hits and two RBIs. Cano also had a double, a walk and three RBIs for the Yankees, who totalled 13 runs during their losing streak. "Were not that team anymore that we used to have the guys that we could say, This guy might hit two home runs in the next inning," Cano said. "So weve just got to take advantage when we get men on base." Pettitte allowed four runs and six hits in five innings. Joba Chamberlain (1-0) pitched an inning of scoreless relief for the win. Scott Diamond gave up two earned runs and seven hits with five strikeouts in 6 2-3 innings for the Twins, who took a 4-3 lead into the eighth thanks to a solo homer by Chris Parmelee in the sixth. Cano, however, had more in store for Minnesota. "Tough out," Diamond said. "He kind of spoiled it for us tonight." Burton, an effective setup man since joining the Twins last season, was shaky again. He gave up a double to Cano to start the eighth, then couldnt get speedy Ichiro Suzuki on a bunt single. Burton tried to pick off Suzuki at first base, but his throw sailed past Justin Morneau and allowed Cano to score and tie the game. Almonte followed with his go-ahead single past a drawn-in infield, and New York cruised from there. The Yankees havent looked much like the Yankees of late, running out relatively no-name lineups filled with youngsters and journeymen while their stars mend on the disabled list. They had lost 13 of their previous 18 to fall into fourth place in the AL East, and Pettitte looked nothing like the consistent lefty hes been for most of 18 seasons in the early going Monday night. He needed 41 pitches to get through the first inning. He gave up a two-run single to Doumit and allowed another run to score when he slipped to the ground while trying to field a comebacker from Oswaldo Arcia. Pettitte threw the ball over first baseman Lyle Overbays head, allowing Doumit to score from second base for a 3-1 lead. Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who earned his 600th career win, had Preston Claiborne warming in the bullpen in the first, but Pettitte was able to settle down after that rocky inning, breezing through the next four to keep his team in the game. "You hope that the hard work that theyve been putting in starts to pay off," Girardi said. "Maybe this is the start of something." Canos second homer of the night, a two-run shot to left field, tied the score 3-all in the third, and Pettitte made some more history in the fifth. He began the night needing two strikeouts to pass Ford for the Yankees record. After fanning Clete Thomas in the third inning, Pettitte broke the record by getting Morneau swinging in the fifth for his 1,958th career strikeout. "I feel very fortunate to be around for as long as I have," Pettitte said. "To be able to be mentioned with Whiteys name is obviously always an honour." The Twins were missing Josh Willingham with a left knee injury, and Joe Mauer struck out in a pinch-hitting appearance in the eighth. NOTES: It was Canos third multihomer game this season and the 13th of his career. ... Twins RHP Mike Pelfrey gave up two runs and two hits with six strikeouts in six innings during a rehab outing for Class-A Cedar Rapids. ... Twins GM Terry Ryan on Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, who has tormented the Twins over the years and is retiring after this season: "God bless that man. Hes been a tremendous closer. But its not going to break my heart to see him go off into the sunset." 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Bjoerndalen, who had failed to win any major race for two years before Sochi, writes in a Facebook entry that he is "full of energy and inspiration" after winning the 10-kilometre sprint and mixed relay at last months Olympics.ARLINGTON, Texas – Drew Hutchison doesnt dwell when things go poorly, so it should come as no surprise that he isnt basking in the afterglow of his first career major league complete game and shutout. If he is, he isnt showing it. "For the most part its just go out there and compete," Hutchison told TSN.ca. "Thats what I love to do, naturally, is compete. Go against other guys and win." The 23-year-old is coming into his own, navigating through the ups and downs of what he hopes will be his first full season with the Blue Jays. His performance on Friday night was just his second win of the year but a closer look at the statistics suggests Hutchison has been one of the clubs most reliable pitchers. With the nine scoreless innings, his ERA dropped from 4.37 to 3.64. His Fielding Independent Pitching statistic (FIP), which calculates a more accurate portrait of a pitchers ERA based on factors only he can control, dropped from 3.14 to 2.96. "Whatever point you want to make you can twist them and contort them to back you up kind of thing," said Hutchison of statistical analysis. "Good or bad, either way. They are just kind of what they are but if you do all the other things and work hard and compete I feel like everything else falls in line." But his FIP suggests he deserves more than his two wins and has been better than his ERA, which itself is more than respectable. Sometimes games, or certain innings, take on a particular feel. A pitcher gets into trouble and before the damage is done, you can sense it unraveling. With Hutchison that isnt the case. There have been nights when hes struggled, including his second-to-last start against the Angels when he walked four and allowed three runs in 4 1/3 innings, but Hutchisons body language always portrays control. "I take a lot of pride in that," said Hutchison. "Sometimes youre just not going to have it. A big focus for me is what separates guys from being good, mediocre and great. It seems like you can watch a great pitcher and you can see they dont have it but they still go eight innings and sometimes they have better nights when they have their best stuff. That to me is something I want to get to that point where I can do that." "Hes got a good arm but hes a pitcher, too, hes not just out there throwing," said manager John Gibbons. "Guys like that, theyre one pitch away from getting out of something. Its the guys who are just rearing back and dont know where its going all the time, those are the guys who are really vulnerable." Hutchison cant remember when he first picked up a baseball. He was pitching by the time he was seven years old but, then again, so are a lot of kids who take turns on the mound between playing different positions. "I just always loved baseball since I was real young," said Hutchison. "Just always just drawn to it." Hutchison, born in 1990 in Lakeland, Florida, started out as a fan of the Atlanta Braves.dddddddddddd Who could blame him? The Braves had great teams in the mid-to-late 1990s and the future hurler was drawn to the work of Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine as he watched games on TBS. He counts Craig Biggio, Pedro Martinez and Chipper Jones as players he looked up to in his youth. Hutchison, like most big leaguers, excelled at the game from an early age but he has a distinct memory of when he believed he could carve out a career in baseball. "I always believed I could but I think it kind of sank in that I actually had a shot probably in high school," said Hutchison. "I saw some guys who were older than me from our high school get drafted to good Division I colleges and things like that so I knew it was a possibility. I would say the summer before my senior year I really knew, hey, you actually have a chance." Fastball command is the name of Hutchisons game. He can hoof it up there at 94, 95 miles per hour but his career average fastball velocity is 91.7 miles per hour. He has to locate consistently or hell get hit. He was at it on Friday night, throwing first pitch strikes to 21 of 30 Rangers hitters. "I think theres definitely, some of its what youre born with, God given," said Hutchison of his ability to paint the corners. "At the same time you dont just walk out there and throw strikes. You can struggle like anybody else on any given day. Ive always had a good feel for it. Its just kind of how its been." Hutchisons gone at least eight innings in two of his last three starts. On May 6 in Philadelphia, Hutchison had a 5-0 lead headed to the sixth. He coughed it up, capped by a Cody Asche grand slam that followed a two out walk, but because hed pitched efficiently he was able to go back out for the seventh and eighth. He worked three up, three down innings in both. The Blue Jays would win 6-5 in 10 innings. "Those are the type of games, you have to do that for your team," said Hutchison. "To suck up the innings and bounce back and show youve moved on. Once things have happened it doesnt do you any good to think about it. You can only continue to grind and try to get through it. "Games like that, they suck," he continued. "The fact that you went up and you gave up a five-run lead, which is something that should never, ever happen. Especially that late in the game, you should never even let it get to that point but once you do you have to do that." What about goals, aside from the obvious? A 20-win season? "See thats another thing, so much of thats out of your control," said Hutchison. "For me, number one, obviously, is just to stay healthy just because of what happened in the past. In my head I know Im fine. Its not even an issue." Anything else? "I have my goals but theyre something thats just me," said Hutchison. "I dont really get into it with anybody. People would think Im crazy." ' ' '