Yankees Lose Pettitte, Beat Rays

The New York Yankees won for the tenth time in 12 games with a 9-5 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, but the celebration in the dug out was tempered after the Bronx Bombers lost All-Star pitcher Andy Pettitte to a groin injury.

The Yankees moved three games ahead of the Rays in the race for the top in the AL East thanks to a strong fifth inning that saw New York score four runs off All-Star starter David Price, who absorbed his worst outing this season by giving up seven runs and seven hits in five innings. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez had one RBI each and Jorge Posada scored a double to cap the strong bottom fifth for the Yankees, who trailed 0-3 in the first inning.

However, the win was overshadowed by the specter of not having Pettitte for an extended time. Pettitte, who suffered the injury in the third inning, will be out at least four weeks. It was the second time in as many games that a Yankees starter was hurt early. A day earlier, A.J. Burnett left after only two-plus innings in New York’s 5-10 loss. Burnett suffered cuts in both hands after slamming a set of double doors in frustration. He later apologized to his teammates for the outburst.