This is the kind of game you want the Yankees to win; a close, no room for error type of contest. And to do it against the Texas Rangers makes it even sweeter.
Freddy Garcia had himself one hell of a game tonight – minus Josh Hamilton‘s two home runs. (More on them later.)
After a rain delay that lasted nearly an hour and 45 minutes, Garcia started the game off with an 11 pitch, 1-2-3 first inning and he was able to keep the Rangers off the board until the fourth inning.
The Yankees scored all three of their runs in a long bottom of the third. Rangers starter Scott Feldman surrendered a lead off single to Jayson Nix. Derek Jeter followe that up with a single of his own to right 0- Nix advanced to third. Nick Swisher hit a bloop double to left, Nix scored and Jeter advanced to third.
Curtis Granderson hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Jeter and putting the Yankees up 3-0.
The first of Hamilton’s home runs came in the top of the fourth, following an Elvis Andrus line out. It was a bullet into the second deck in right field and it cut the Yankees lead to 3-1.
Garcia got into a little bit of trouble when Texas had the bases loaded and one out. He was able to get Geovany Soto to ground into a double play to end the inning.
Hamilton’s second home run came in the top of the sixth and it was crushed. It was estimated at 447 feet. Texas was within striking distance 3-2.
That’s all Texas would get. Mitch Moreland and Adrian Beltre were the only other Rangers with hits tonight.
Garcia pitched into the seventh inning, gave up those two runs on those four hits, he walked one batter, struck out six – all on sliders and threw 100 pitches; 64 strikes and 47 of them were sliders.
Boone Logan, David Robertson and Rafael Soriano combined to pitch 2 1/3 innings, they did not surrender a hit and struck out three.
Soriano earned save number 29 of the season by getting Hamilton to strike out on a nasty slider, getting Beltre to fly out to left, brush aside a bad call at first which allowed Nelson Cruz to reach on an error – it wasn’t an error, umpire Marty Foster blew the call. But, no harm, no foul because Soriano got David Murphy to ground into a force out to Jeter.
Ballgame over. Yankees win. Untuck!
Some notes:
- Garcia has a 3.15 ERA over his last 17 games.
- Eric Chavez had three hits tonight – finished 3-3 with an RBI – and is now 14-23 in his last six games.
- Jeter has an 11-game hitting streak and now has 157 hits this season.
- The Yankees have outscored the Rangers 14-4 in this series.
- Tonight was the Yankees’s 70th victory of the season, they are now 23 games over .500 and are six games up on the Baltimore Orioles.
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