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MIL@CWS: Quintana stymies Crew over eight scoreless

With CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte both on the disabled list, the Yankees are beginning a stretch of their season when they will be in dire need of quality starting pitching.

On Friday, the club will turn to right-hander Adam Warren to make his Major League debut, while the Yanks face a pitcher from the White Sox who they had within their organization last season.

Warren gets the nod because Freddy Garcia, who was originally supposed to start, threw out of the bullpen Wednesday. The 24-year-old held a 3.86 ERA in the Minor Leagues this season, with 59 strikeouts over 86 1/3 innings.

"It's hard to put into words how excited I am," Warren said. "It's been a dream of mine for so long. Just to be here and be in the clubhouse right now, it's pretty neat. I'm just trying to soak it up and have fun."

The Yankees drafted the North Carolina product in the fourth round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft.

"I saw a big difference in him from last Spring Training to this Spring Training," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said about Warren. "I'm sure there's going to be a lot of butterflies tomorrow, but hopefully he can get through that first inning and settle down."

Meanwhile, the White Sox will send Jose Quintana to the hill, a player who became a Minor League free agent last year when the Yankees didn't put him on the 40-man roster. Given how the 23-year-old has pitched so far this season, New York certainly could use him back in pinstripes.

In 43 1/3 innings in 2012, Quintana boasts a 1.25 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP.

"I had some great times with the Yankees," Quintana said. "But it always was in the Minor Leagues. So I don't exactly know how they do things in the big leagues. What I did gather is that everything is great."

The rookie enters Friday having thrown 16 consecutive scoreless innings, the longest streak for a White Sox rookie pitcher since Brandon McCarthy went 17 1/3 innings.

"For me, it's always staying even keel," Quintana said. "I go out each game and try to do what I've done and staying consistent. Nothing changes. I know [Friday] will be a big start for me. But I'm going to go out like I've done every start."

White Sox: Septimo joins club
Leyson Septimo became the latest rookie to join the White Sox pitching staff Thursday, when he was called up from Triple-A Charlotte prior to the series opener in New York. Septimo took the spot of veteran hurler Will Ohman, who was designated for assignment.

Over 21 relief appearances for the Knights, Septimo, 26, posted a 2-1 record with a 1.48 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings. Opposing hitters produced a .135 average against Septimo, with a .095 against (4-for-42) for left-handed hitters.

"The biggest difference was when I was in Charlotte, I wasn't trying to throw hard all the time, and [I was] just [trying to] make pitches," said Septimo through translator and White Sox manager of cultural development Jackson Miranda. "When I did need to throw hard, I did, but it wasn't like every pitch I was trying to throw hard."

"He had a pretty good Spring Training, and has a good lefty arm," said White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper. "He worked on all the stuff we talked about and had some success."

According to manager Robin Ventura, Septimo will be used primarily as a left-handed specialist

Yankees: Martin sits again
Russell Martin was out of the lineup for the fourth time in five games Thursday against the White Sox, but he downplayed the stiffness in his back, and Girardi insisted a trip to the disabled list is not in his catcher's future.

"In my mind, this is not a DL case," Girardi said. "He's available if I need him tonight."

Martin caught eight innings Saturday against the Mets after stiffness popped up during batting practice, then backup Chris Stewart caught the next three days. Martin returned to the lineup Wednesday against the Indians and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Stewart again started Thursday.

"It's better than it was a couple days ago," Martin said, "but at this point I just feel like if I'm in the lineup, I'm not helping the team."

Worth noting
• Before acquiring Kevin Youkilis from the Red Sox, White Sox third basemen ranked last in the Major Leagues in average, home runs, RBIs, slugging and on-base percentage.

• The Yankees are the only team in baseball who have yet to lose more than three consecutive games this season.

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