Lewis slows down Yanks in Rangers' victory
ARLINGTON -- Colby Lewis went six strong innings and the Rangers strung together 11 hits, 10 of which were singles, on the way to defeating the Yankees, 5-2, on Wednesday night at Globe Life Park.
Lewis allowed two runs and got the win to snap the Rangers' three-game losing streak. Masahiro Tanaka exited after allowing four runs in six innings as the Yankees had their four-game winning streak snapped.
"Colby takes the mound for us and the guy always shows up well for us," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "You can use all the superlatives you want. He didn't have his best stuff but he stays focused."
The Rangers got to Tanaka for three runs in the second inning, when Josh Hamilton, Shin-Soo Choo and Delino DeShields each hit RBI singles, taking advantage of Tanaka's ineffective splitter. It erased the 2-0 lead the Yankees took in the top half of the second when Carlos Beltran homered and Jacoby Ellsbury singled home Didi Gregorius.
"That inning when I gave up three runs, that actually had a lot to do with the split," Tanaka said through an interpreter. "I wasn't getting that tight downfall that I wanted to. It got gradually better as the inning went on, but that inning was kind of a downer."
Texas went on to expand the lead when Hamilton grounded into a double play that scored Adrian Beltre in the fifth then scored Prince Fielder with a single in the seventh, and the Rangers' bullpen held on through the late innings.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Hamilton breaks RISP drought: Hamilton drove in the first run with an RBI single in the second after Beltre led off with a single and Mitch Moreland walked. Hamilton's single off of Tanaka ended an 0-for-14 skid for Hamilton with runners in scoring position.
"That was a confidence builder for him, the at-bats he has been looking for," Banister said. "He made some adjustments in batting practice and he carried it into the game."
Video: NYY@TEX: Hamilton hits a line-drive RBI single
Tanaka grinds through: The Yankees shuffled their rotation in order to permit Tanaka to pitch on an additional day of rest, but the right-hander did not appear sharp, leaving many pitches over the plate and missing his locations. Tanaka permitted three runs in the second inning and another run in the fifth, knocked around for nine hits as his three-start winning streak came to an end. More >
"He really struggled the whole time," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "Maybe his best inning was his last inning in the sixth, but it was a little bit of a struggle. His command was not great tonight."
Video: NYY@TEX: Tanaka pitches six innings vs. Rangers
Better in the bullpen: The Texas bullpen allowed a season-high 13 runs in Tuesday's 21-5 loss, but Keone Kela, Tanner Scheppers and Shawn Tolleson combined to blank the Yankees through the final three innings Wednesday.
Video: NYY@TEX: Tolleson fans Jones as the Rangers take win
Cotham City: Caleb Cotham, the Yankees' fourth selection in the 2009 Draft, made his big league debut, entering in the seventh inning and recording a pair of strikeouts around a Gregorius error -- his first since June 21 -- and a run-scoring Hamilton single. The 27-year-old Cotham had a 2.17 ERA in 27 combined appearances for Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and is the 12th Yankee to debut this season, tying the Braves for the most in the Majors.
Video: NYY@TEX: Cotham fans four in relief in MLB debut
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Hamilton hit into a double play in the fifth, ending a nine-game streak without grounding into a double play for the Rangers. The stretch tied a club record and was the longest in the American League this season.
Video: NYY@TEX: Hamilton grounds into a DP as Beltre scores
IN REVIEW
The Yankees successfully challenged a call at second base in the sixth inning, as Choo appeared to double to right-center. Brett Weber, the Yanks' baseball operations coaching assistant, spotted that Choo's right foot came off the bag while Stephen Drew had the tag applied. A brief review overturned the call, as Choo was ruled out.
Video: NYY@TEX: Beltran fires to throw out Choo at second
WHAT'S NEXT
Yankees: Right-hander Michael Pineda (9-7, 3.97 ERA) makes his 20th start of the season on Thursday as the Yankees complete a four-game series with the Rangers in Arlington at 8:05 p.m. ET. Pineda leads the AL with a 7.80 K/BB ratio (117 strikeouts, 15 walks) and is 0-3 with a 5.04 ERA in four career starts vs. the Rangers.
Rangers: Right-hander Yovani Gallardo (7-9, 3.19 ERA) pitches against the Yankees at 7:05 p.m. CT Thursday in Arlington. Gallardo is winless in his last five starts. He is 1-1 with a 4.63 ERA in two career starts against the Yankees.
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