Finally, Texas holds 'em
The Rangers again took a big lead early, and this time the Yanks could not rally.
ARLINGTON, Texas - Less than 24 hours after a disheartening defeat in which Texas squandered a five-run lead, the Rangers made a statement that the American League Championship Series may be competitive after all.
Jumping to a 5-0 advantage for the second straight game, Texas evened the best-of-seven ALCS with a 7-2 win Saturday over the Yankees at Rangers Ballpark here.
The Rangers now head to New York for Game 3 on Monday with their pitching ace - former Phillies lefthander Cliff Lee - taking the mound. Lee will be opposed by playoff veteran Andy Pettitte.
The young Texas team could have been devastated by Friday's 6-5 loss, when five pitchers surrendered five runs in a nightmarish eighth inning.
Manager Ron Washington said afterward that his team would put the loss behind it, and the Rangers proved their skipper prophetic.
"I know we are resilient," Washington said. "We showed it today and we came back and played. I didn't see any effects of [Friday]."
In winning, the Rangers put an end to some dubious streaks. It was Texas' first-ever postseason home win, after losing the first seven, in franchise history. In their series against the Rays, the Rangers won their three games in Tampa Bay.
Texas also snapped a 10-game postseason losing streak to the Yankees.
Following Friday's bullpen meltdown, the Rangers' five relief pitchers on Saturday combined for 31/3 innings of shutout ball.
In a surprise, the Yankees' starting pitching has been torched in Texas.
In Game 1, CC Sabathia labored through four innings, allowing five runs on six hits and throwing 93 pitches.
On Saturday, Phil Hughes struggled through four-plus innings, allowing seven runs - all earned - on 10 hits.
"Our starters have not pitched well so far," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi, stating the obvious. ". . . I believe in our guys and I believe that they will pitch well as we continue forward here."
The Rangers scored in the first inning for the second straight game.
Elvis Andrus, a 22-year-old shortstop who has appeared immune from playoff pressure, led off with a single off Hughes' glove. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and then stole third base.
With two outs and runners on the corners, the Rangers' Josh Hamilton left first on a steal and got hung up purposely in a rundown. Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano fielded the throw and was late in attempting to nail Andrus at home, a successful double steal.
Andrus is 3 for 7 with three runs scored in the first two games.
"We put that game Friday in the past, and came out and played hard," Andrus said. "We scored first and that was important."
In the second inning, Texas added two more runs on David Murphy's solo home run to right field and Michael Young's RBI double down the first-base line. RBI doubles by Murphy and Bengie Molina made it 5-0 in the third.
Lance Berkman's RBI single in the fourth got the Yankees on the board.
Hughes was knocked out in the fifth when Ian Kinsler hit an RBI triple past a diving Nick Swisher in right field. After two strikeouts, Mitch Moreland drove in Kinsler with a single to left field.
Texas righthander Colby Lewis, who pitched the previous two seasons in Japan, earned the win with 52/3 workmanlike innings, allowing two runs on six hits and striking out six.
"I felt the best I probably felt in the last couple of weeks," Lewis said.
For the second straight game Cano hit a solo home run, this time a 435-foot bomb to right field in the sixth inning. He is 5 for 9 with two home runs and three RBIs.
This time, the Texas bullpen prevailed, sending the Rangers off to New York with a split.
Texas second baseman Kinsler insisted the team doesn't have any renewed confidence because he said the Rangers never lost it to begin with.
"To be honest with you we outplayed them [Friday], they put up more runs and had a great eighth inning," Kinsler said. "Today we outplayed them and we are playing really good baseball."
Notes. Texas reliever Alexi Ogando, who didn't pitch on Friday, had an impressive scoreless seventh inning that ended with a strikeout of Cano on a 96 m.p.h. fastball with two runners on base and the score 7-2. . . . The win was only the second home victory in 10 American League postseason games this year. . . . The seven runs were the most scored by the Rangers in their 17 postseason games.