Yankees Win Series Behind Another Strong Start by McCarthy
The Texas Rangers are the worst team in Major League Baseball, so anything less than winning this week's series would have been considered inadequate for the Yankees. A sweep would have been preferable, obviously, but the Yankees did the minimum by taking three of four games, one of them barely.
After losing the opener Monday, the Yankees sneaked by the Rangers in 14 innings Tuesday, benefited from a rain-shortened game Wednesday - both in one-run wins - then won a relative blowout, 4-2, Thursday afternoon behind a third straight strong start by pitcher Brandon McCarthy.
Even better, after the Yankees play the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium this weekend, they will travel to Texas for three more games against the battered Rangers.
McCarthy, who was traded to the Yankees on July 6, was in control for most of the game. He allowed one run, four hits and two walks over six innings, and he struck out five and improved to 2-0 since joining the Yankees.
In his three starts, he has allowed 3 runs and 19 hits in 18 1/3 innings and struck out 17. David Robertson, the fifth Yankees pitcher of the game, recorded the save, his 25th.
The Yankees spread out their modest offensive attack: Four players drove in runs and six players collected the team's six hits.
McCarthy was replaced by Adam Warren, who promptly gave up a solo home run to J.P. Arencibia leading off the top of the seventh, making the score, 3-2.
The Rangers scored first after Rougned Odor singled to center with two outs in the third. He went to third base on Shin-Soo Choo's hit, then scored when a pop-up by Elvis Andrus landed between second baseman Brian Roberts and center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury.
The Yankees evened the score in the fourth after Brett Gardner, batting second with Derek Jeter getting the day off, reached on a bloop double down the left-field line. Colby Lewis (6-8), the Rangers' starter, recorded the next two outs, but Chase Headley hit a long single off the right-field wall, and Gardner scored.
In the fifth inning, Ichiro Suzuki led off with a walk and scored from first on a double by Francisco Cervelli, who also had two doubles in the rain-shortened game Wednesday night. That game was called in the bottom of the fifth inning, with the Yankees leading, 2-1.
Cervelli later scored on a sacrifice fly by Gardner, which extended the Yankees' lead to 3-1. Cervelli was playing in his fourth straight game at catcher, including the Yankees' 14-inning affair Tuesday night, and Manager Joe Girardi said Cervelli would probably have a day off very soon.
In the eighth inning, Carlos Beltran led off with a broken-bat ground ball single, then scored from first on Brian McCann's double into the gap between left and center field.
INSIDE PITCH
Joe Girardi said the Yankees would decide Friday whether to place Mark Teixeira on the 15-day disabled list with a strained back muscle. Teixeira has been out since July 20 because of the injury ... Michael Pineda's simulated game in Tampa, Fla., was rained out, so he threw a bullpen session instead and will throw a three-inning simulated game Monday in Tampa. Pineda is recovering from a strained upper back muscle near his shoulder, and the Yankees are hoping he can return in August.
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