Garcia Powers Yankees To Win Over Jays

Karim Garcia’s RBI double in the top of the eighth inning sent the Yankees to a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yanks bounced back from two-straight losses to the Jays behind a gutsy pitching performance from Jose Contreras. Garcia also drove in the Yankees’ first run of the game in the second inning.

With two outs and Bernie Williams on third base in the eighth inning, Garcia broke a 2-2 tie with a double into the left-centerfield gap. Williams scored from second to give the Yankees the lead, and the bullpen held on for the victory.

Contreras (5-2) pitched seven strong innings, allowing just one earned run – two total – on four hits and three walks. He struck out seven batters while rebounding from a terrible outing against the Red Sox by notching a victory.

The Yankees built their lead up in third inning on Alfonso Soriano’s 29th homerun of the season, a rocket shot into right-centerfield that gave the Yanks a 2-0 lead.

Toronto came back to tie the game against Contreras in the fifth. Bobby Kielty hit a towering solo homerun to right field to cut the lead in half. Chris Woodward followed that with a walk and Orlando Hudson singled to left to move Woodward to second.

Frank Catalanatto then lifted a fly ball to right field that was far enough to move Woodward to third base. On Garcia’s throw to third Hudson moved to second, but when Aaron Boone threw over to second base to try to get the out, the ball went back into right field and Woodward scored the tying run.

Pete Walker (1-2) suffered the loss in relief of starter Cory Lidle. Walker allowed a run on two hits over just 2/3 of an inning. Lidle lasted six innings and allowed two runs on five hits and a pair of walks, but managed to work himself into and out of trouble several times.

Mariano Rivera worked around a one-out walk in the ninth inning and recorded the final four outs of the game for his 32nd save of the season.

The Yankees head back home for a weekend series against the Boston Red Sox. Game one is on Friday night at 7:05 pm. Andy Pettitte (17-7, 4.01) will face off against Pedro Martinez (10-4, 2.52) in a rematch of last Saturday’s meeting, which the Yankees won 10-7.

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