Granderson, Nova combine to propel Yankees to win
SAN DIEGO -- Tyson Ross was good. Ivan Nova was better.
Nova's four-hitter led the New York Yankees past Ross and the San Diego Padres in a 3-0 victory before a sellout crowd of 44,184 at Petco Park on Saturday.
Curtis Granderson homered in his second game since coming off the disabled list to spark the Yankees' offense.
"Any way to help the team out," said Granderson, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs after going 0-for-4 in his return from the DL in Friday's loss to the Padres. "It was scuffle there against Ross. He had thrown really well against us. Finally, the third time around, we were able to get just a little thing going with (Alfonso) Soriano to get the bloop (single).
"And then finally to get a pitch that caught some of the plate. He didn't give us much of that during the earlier parts of the game."
Granderson broke up a scoreless contest in the seventh by driving a 1-0 fastball from Ross into the Jack Daniels' seats in right for two-run homer. It was only the second home run this season for Granderson, who came off the disabled list Friday after being out since May 24 with a broken left pinkie knuckle. Granderson, who has had two stints on the disabled list, has appeared in only 10 games and taken 36 at-bats.
"I fell behind first pitch change-up away," said Ross, who had a string of 17 scoreless innings snapped. "And then I tried to go fastball and got too much of the plate and he made me pay for it."
Nova struck out eight and walked one in seven innings. After giving up a double to Alexi Amarista to leadoff the second, Nova, a former Padre, retired 15 in a row until Will Venable led off the seventh with a double. But Nova (5-4) struck out Jedd Gyorko and got Nick Hundley looking on a curveball to end the seventh and keep his shutout intact.
"I felt really good," said Nova, who has a 33-16 career mark, the second-highest winning percentage of any major league pitcher with at least 50 starts. "Like I've said in the past, I don't remember the last time I've felt the way I'm feeling now. I've been working hard to do my job. You've got to pitch to keep your team in the game. That's what I tried to do."
David Robertson retired three of the Padres' four batters in the eighth before Mariano Rivera came on to sit down the side in the ninth for his 35th save in 37 opportunities.
Jayson Nix added an RBI single in the ninth to cap the Yankees' scoring.
Ross was perfect through four innings -- retiring the first 13 batters, seven by strikeout, including the side in the third -- before giving up a single to Lyle Overbay with one out in the fifth. Ross (2-5), who threw 95 pitches (65 for strikes) and struck out a career-high nine, gave up three hits in six-plus innings. He walked two.
Ross walked Overbay and Eduardo Nunez after giving up Granderson's homer, and his night was over.
"Both pitchers threw very well," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Both had two really good pitches the entire night -- the fastball being one of them and contrast the secondary pitch -- Nova had the slow big curveball and Tyson had a tight slider. I thought they were both every efficient. They both threw strikes for the most part.
"Tyson wobbled a little at the end with the two walks, but both pitchers gave their teams a chance to win."
NOTES: Yankees SS Derek Jeter was held out of the starting lineup Saturday and won't start Sunday because of lingering problems in his right leg. Jeter, who has appeared in only five games since coming off the disabled list recently with a quad injury, went 1-for-4 in Friday's loss at San Diego, but it was clear he was still hurting as he labored running the bases. "It's a concern of ours and we've got to get him healthy," said manager Joe Girardi, who added that Jeter could be available to pinch hit. ... SS Ronny Cedeno was signed by the Padres to a minor league deal Saturday. The move is in anticipation of SS Everth Cabrera being suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball by Monday for his involvement in the Biogenesis clinic. Cedeno's last game was July 19 with the Houston Astros, who designated him for assignment on July 21. ... Padres LF Carlos Quentin didn't play again Saturday because of his ailing left knee he hurt earlier in the week against the Cincinnati Reds.
