Yankees Rout Rays, 7-0, Behind Pettitte & Martin

This was vintage Andy Pettitte. He was awesome from the very start, striking out six of the first 10 batters he faced, on his way to 10 on the night. Overall, he tossed 7.1 innings and conceded just two hits and two walks. It was fun to watch him carve up (an admittedly weak) Tampa lineup, using an arsenal of well-located two-seamers, cutters and sliders.

The Yanks jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to an Elliot Johnson throwing error with two outs in the first inning and the bases loaded. (I must say that seeing Johnson struggle makes me happy. I still remember him plowing over Francisco Cervelli in a meaningless Spring Training game several years ago, breaking Cervelli's wrist and causing him to miss half the season.)

The big blow came off the bat of - get this - Russell Martin. He launched an 0-2 fastball over the short porch wall for a four-run homer (aka, a grand slam). With a three-hit night, Martin raised his average 17 points, from .194 to .211 (I know, still bad, but not as bad). Don't look now, but Martin's hitting .391 over the last seven games.

Play of the Game: Johnson's aforementioned throwing error on a Raul Ibanez groundball with the bases loaded (+15%).

With the win, the Yanks move to within a half game of the first place Rays. Game two of the series sees RHP Ivan Nova going against RHP Alex Cobb.