Bronx, NY (Sports Network) - Andy Pettitte pitched six shutout innings to win his third straight start and Jason Giambi drove in two runs and scored twice, as the New York Yankees salvaged the finale of a three-game series against Cincinnati with a 4-1 victory over the Reds.

Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada also knocked in a run apiece for the Yankees, who had won seven in a row before dropping the first two games of this series.

"We got another win," Pettitte stated. "This was an important [game]. To lose the last two was really disappointing. This was a really good win for us."

Pettitte (8-5) yielded just four hits with two walks and four strikeouts. He has been brilliant since a 10-run debacle against Kansas City on June 7, allowing just one run on 14 hits over 21 innings of his last three starts. The veteran lefty is 5-0 in his last seven outings and hasn't lost since May 17 against the Mets.

"I've been feeling good," Pettitte said about his recent performances. "My last few, I've been feeling good and it's nice to pitch well for the team. I've been mixing my pitches up a little bit more."

Ken Griffey Jr. homered for the Reds, who lost for the sixth time in their last eight games. Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto each stroked a pair of hits in defeat.

Cincinnati rookie Johnny Cueto (5-8) pitched well in five innings, but lost his third straight start. He gave up one run on four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.

The Yankees scored first and took their first lead of the series in the fifth inning. Giambi led off with a single, advanced to third on a double into the right field corner by Posada and scored on a long fly ball to right-center field by Cano. Posada moved to third on the out, but was stranded when Cueto fanned Melky Cabrera and got Johnny Damon on a pop up.

Pettitte worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the sixth, getting Paul Janish to pop up a bunt and striking out Votto before a storm halted play for 56 minutes. He did not return after the delay.

Neither did Cueto and the Yankees struck for three runs against the Cincinnati bullpen when play resumed in the bottom of the sixth.

"[The umpires] told us it was going to be a 15-minute delay, and [Cueto] could have gone back out," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "But the longer it went the less chance he had of coming back. When you sit around that long you don't want to take the chance of hurting the young man."

Derek Jeter led off with a single against Gary Majewski and Hideki Matsui added a two-out hit before Giambi greeted Jeremy Affeldt with a two-run double over Norris Hopper's head in left field. Posada then ripped a run- scoring double to the right-center field gap for a 4-0 lead.

Griffey put the Reds on the board in the eighth with a two-out homer off Kyle Farnsworth. It was his first home run since reaching the 600 mark on June 9 at Florida.

Farnsworth then tried to bare-hand a comebacker off the bat of Phillips and was forced to leave the game with a lacerated hand.

"He had to get a few stitches," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We're not anticipating a DL stint, but we'll see how he feels Tuesday."

Mariano Rivera came on to get the final out of the eighth, then ran into trouble in the ninth.

Votto and Jay Bruce started the ninth with singles and Corey Patterson grounded into a fielder's choice to leave runners on the corners. Only Patterson's speed prevented a double play, and Rivera then caught Adam Dunn looking at a third strike before getting Hopper on a bouncer back to the box to nail down his 21st save in as many chances this season.

The Yankees stranded a runner at second in the second inning. Giambi was hit by a pitch with one out and stole second when catcher David Ross dropped the ball on a strikeout of Posada. Cano then lined out to third, as Edwin Encarnacion made a leaping stab to deny a hit and a possible run.

Encarnacion left the contest with lower back spasms after coming down awkwardly following the catch. Jeff Keppinger moved over from shortstop to third base, while Janish took over at shortstop and took Encarnacion's spot in the batting order.

Cincinnati threatened in the third, loading the bases with one out on a pair of walks and an infield single. Pettitte, though, struck out Votto and Bruce to keep it scoreless.