Yanks top Tribe but lose Posada

After New York posted a 1-0 victory, the catcher went on the disabled list.

CLEVELAND (AP) — An April win with all the texture of one in October was quickly chilled for the New York Yankees.

Moments after beating the Cleveland Indians 1-0, the Yankees lost a shocker: Jorge Posada is headed to the disabled list for the first time.

“It’s very disappointing,” said New York’s dependable catcher, bothered by a sore shoulder for weeks.

The troubling news on Posada came after Chien-Ming Wang shut down Cleveland for seven innings and outpitched C.C. Sabathia, who gave up a home run to Melky Cabrera as the Yankees snapped a three-game losing streak.

Wang (5-0) allowed four hits, struck out a season-high nine and became the AL’s first five-game winner. Only one Cleveland runner reached third against the right-hander, who made 113 pitches and got the Yankees back to .500.

Posada was a late scratch from the starting lineup. He first complained about a tired arm April 8 and didn’t catch for two weeks, hoping the rest would strengthen his shoulder. He caught the series opener Friday and the last four innings Saturday after he hit a tying, three-run pinch triple.

Posada said he felt pain in his shoulder after a throw on Saturday, and when he came to the ballpark Sunday he couldn’t even have a game of catch.

Wang got help from reliever Joba Chamberlain, who pitched a perfect eighth in his first appearance in Cleveland since Game 2 of last year’s playoffs when midges swarmed him in the late innings.

Rivera worked a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out two for his seventh save to join Trevor Hoffman and Lee Smith as the only closers to reach 450. After Wang gave up a leadoff single in the fifth, the Indians didn’t manage another hit.

Sabathia (1-4) dropped to 1-8 in regular -season games against the Yankees. The defending AL Cy Young winner pitched eight strong innings, giving up just four hits — one of them a one-out homer in the fifth inning to Cabrera, who pulled a first-pitch changeup.

“He put a good swing on it and hit it out of the park,” Sabathia said with a shrug.

Like the Yankees, the Indians played without their most durable player.

Center fielder Grady Sizemore sat because of a sore right ankle, ending the majors’ longest consecutive games streak at 382. Sizemore called his injury a “mild sprain” and manager Eric Wedge doesn’t think the All-Star will go on the DL.

Wang, who lost Game 1 to Sabathia in last year’s playoffs, was poised from the start and only got in trouble once.

Jason Michaels doubled to open the third and moved up on a passed ball with two outs, but Wang got Travis Hafner to ground out and end the inning.