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CIN@NYY: Nova fans 12 over six innings

Both starting pitchers in Wednesday's series finale between the Yankees and Angels are hoping to bounce back from less-than-stellar outings.

Right-hander Ivan Nova will take the mound for the third-place Yankees (26-23). With a sweep, the Angels (26-25) can extend their season-high winning streak to nine games, as they counter with Ervin Santana.

In his last time out, despite recording the win, Nova surrendered two of the Athletics' three earned runs via the home run, his 11th and 12th long ball allowed in 2012. That mark comes over just 56 innings, while Nova gave up 13 homers all of last season (165 1/3 innings).

"They bother me. There's no reason to give too many homers," said Nova, who is 5-2 but has a 5.46 ERA. "I'm making mistakes, leaving the ball up, and it's on me. I have to try to do better every time I go out there."

Santana (2-6, 4.45 ERA) is coming off a no-decision against the Mariners in which he walked seven batters and allowed four runs on four hits.

The Angels were dealt a blow to their rotation on Tuesday, when Jered Weaver was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back injury. Garrett Richards was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake to take Weaver's spot in the rotation, which hopes to pick up the slack in the absence of its ace.

"All of us are competitors, and when our ace goes down, we know we have to step it up," starting pitcher Jerome Williams said. "All we have to do is go out there and do the same things we've been doing these last few games we've played and go out there and perform well. ... Ervin's pitching [Wednesday], and we've just got to keep on going."

Yankees: Teixeira heating up
Mark Teixeira has turned it on as of late. Since the Yankees began their nine-game road trip at Oakland on Friday, Teixeira has four home runs and nine RBIs. The first baseman entered Tuesday night's contest hitting .480 in his last seven games.

"He looks great at the plate," manager Joe Girardi said before the game. "That's good to see. When we get guys hitting the way they're capable, we're able to put up big numbers."

• Right-handed reliever David Robertson, who is on the 15-day disabled list with a left oblique strain, threw 50 tosses on flat ground on Tuesday in Tampa, Fla. Robertson was 0-1 with a 2.51 ERA and a save before the injury.

• Left fielder Brett Gardner, who has been on the shelf since April 18 with right elbow soreness, took swings on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the speedy outfielder is expected to soft-toss and hit off a tee.

Angels: Hunter goes 1-for-4 in return
In his first game since being taken off the restricted list, right fielder Torii Hunter started and went 1-for-4 in Tuesday's 5-1 win. Hunter had missed 14 games to go home and be with his family in Texas after his 17-year old son was arrested on allegations of sexual assault.

With Hunter's return to the club, infielder Andrew Romine was demoted to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Worth noting
• The Angels' eight-game winning streak is the longest active streak in Major League Baseball.

• Albert Pujols hit his eighth home run of the season on Tuesday, launching a 1-0 cutter from Andy Pettitte into the left-field seats for a two-run shot. Though it took until May 6 for Pujols to hit his first homer as an Angel, he has hit one in five of his last eight games.

• Nova is 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA in three career starts against the Angels.

• Santana, who is 2-1 with a 2.91 ERA in five starts this month, is 5-6 with a 5.70 ERA in 13 career starts against the Yankees. With a win Wednesday, Santana would become only the sixth pitcher to win more than 90 games with the Angels.

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