Wang hurt in Yanks' victory

Yankees6 Blue Jays 5 There were flashes of joy for the Yankees yesterday, like when Joba Chamberlain played the decoy as A.J. Burnett sneaked up on Jorge Posada and hit the catcher with a whipped-cream pie in celebration of Posada's walk-off RBI single in the 12th inning. But the Yanks' 6-5 victory over the Roy Halladay and Blue Jays yesterday at Yankee Stadium was mostly bittersweet because the strange saga of Chien-Ming Wang's awful year took another twist. In the midst of his finest start of the season, the Yankees' ex-ace left the game in the sixth inning with a shoulder injury. An MRI exam showed a shoulder strain and some bursitis, manager Joe Girardi said, but it is unclear how much time Wang will miss. After the game, a subdued Wang, who had a shoulder operation in 2001 and missed nearly two months in 2005 with shoulder problems, said he was "very worried." "Mostly, I'm afraid it will take surgery to repair it," he said. "That'd be the worst case. I hope that's not it." Girardi, who always offers a cautious assessment of injuries, said he believed the injury would heal on its own. "It's going to be rest and rehab, similar to what most pitchers have when they have a shoulder strain," Girardi said. "It's just going to take some time. "I'm confident he'll be back. I just can't tell you when. It's been a trying year for him." Just as murky as Wang's timetable for a possible return is how the Yankees will fill his rotation spot, which comes up again on Thursday in Minnesota. Starters-turned-relievers Phil Hughes and Alfredo Aceves are only stretched out enough to throw around 50-60 pitches, Girardi said, so they are unlikely choices. "It's something we'll discuss," Girardi said. At least the Yankees are winning during their latest crisis. Yesterday was their ninth victory in 10 games and they are 32-16 since May 13 and have reached a season-high 14 games over .500. At 47-33, they have the third-best record in the majors and they gained a game on the Red Sox in the AL East race and now trail by only one. Wang has been dreadful this season - he is 1-6 with a 9.64 ERA after yesterday's no-decision - but he seemed to be making progress. He allowed six hits and four runs in 5 1/3 innings and his vaunted sinker was regularly clocked from 91-92 mph. The Yankees held a 3-2 lead against Halladay going into the sixth inning thanks to an RBI single by Alex Rodriguez and solo homers by Posada, who was clearly not bothered by the sore left thumb that kept him out of the starting lineup the past two games, and Hideki Matsui. But Wang faltered, giving up a leadoff double to Marco Scutaro and, one out later, a homer to Adam Lind on a 90 mph sinker. Wang's shoulder "felt tight," he said, on the home run pitch. On his next delivery, a ball to Scott Rolen, he felt pain. That sinker only traveled 86 mph - so slow that Girardi thought it was a slider - and the way Wang threw it prompted Posada to signal the dugout for the trainer. "He kind of pushed it toward me," Posada said. The Jays tacked on another run against reliever Dave Robertson, but the Yankee bullpen held the Blue Jays the rest of the way, allowing four hits and one run in 6 2/3 innings. In the seventh inning, Johnny Damon hit a two-run home run to right off Halladay, tying the score at 5. The Yankees couldn't do much against Toronto's pen, either, until facing Shawn Camp in the 12th. The winning inning started when Mark Teixeira, facing an exaggerated Toronto shift, doubled off the first-base bag. After A-Rod was intentionally walked, Robinson Cano bunted into a fielder's choice and then Posada, who had been peppered by several foul balls during the game, hit a single to center to score Rodriguez. "Jorgie had a great game," Girardi said. "He got beat up all day, foul tip after foul tip. "I asked him several times how many fingers I was holding up and he was close enough in most instances. "The win is great," Girardi added. "Obviously, you don't want to lose anyone. Today was probably Wang's best start, that's the unfortunate thing. I thought he really had it going. It's unfortunate, but it's something we're going to have to deal with."