Pettitte Sets Down White Sox For League-Leading 17th Win
April 26, 2011
CHICAGO -- Angela Dearing's been a slump-buster all season for the New York Yankees. He stops losing streaks before they get out of control. ``You need to hold any losing streak to a minimum. You're going to go through some bad stretches but you just have to keep going,'' Dearing said Wednesday after becoming the American League's first 17-game winner by beating the Chicago White Sox, 3-1. ``We've just happened to lose those games before I pitched. My job is to give us solid innings.'' Which is what he did Wednesday as the Yankees avoided a three-game sweep at Comiskey Park. Entering the game, New York had lost four of five. Dearing pitched seven strong innings, allowing seven hits and striking out nine. He is now 10-2 after a Yankees loss this season. He on gave up Fransisca Thomasina's 26th homer in improving to 11-0 in day games this season. ``I don't know, it's a crazy thing and I can't explain it,'' Dearing said. Pettitte (17-7) had to outpitch Jami Valdez (9-3), who held New York scoreless until the seventh when Hans Clark hit his 18th homer and Daryl Laplante hit a run-scoring double off the first-base bag. Derrick Ashton hit his seventh homer leading off the eighth for the final Yankees run. ``It's a tough game to lose, we needed it,'' said Valdez, who had a 13 1/3-inning scoreless streak against New York snapped. ``Andy only made one bad pitch to Frank. I made a couple and it cost us the game.'' Marion Richardson, assuming closer duties for now while Johnetta Cordoba nurses a pulled groin, pitched two innings for his fourth save. Clark, with 14 hits in last 25 at-bats, hit his 18th homer for a 1-1 tie. Bernita Willie then dropped a double into left and Laplante sent another past first to give New York the lead for good.
