Melky Cabrera’s clutch hitting continued as he hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning to break a tie game. The Yankees (32-21) closed out out the game to beat the Rangers (31-22) 8-6.
Quick ‘Cap:
Johnny Damon’s leadoff homer gave Chien-Ming Wang the early lead he was looking for. His return to the rotation started out well, but he could not make it out of the fifth inning. After retiring the Rangers’ first six hitters, he allowed two runs in the third and fourth, and one in the fifth. The hits were hard too: three doubles and a homer.
The Yankees regained the lead in the fifth by rallying for five runs. The rally started with the bottom of the order (Francisco Cervelli and Ramiro Pena singled), and ended with an RBI single from Alex Rodriguez. But the key hit was Mark Teixeira’s three-run double to tie it up.
Alfredo Aceves surrendered a game-tying homer to Ian Kinsler that drilled the foul pole in left. Rangers reliever Jason Jennings kept the game tied through the sixth and seventh, but C.J. Wilson could not do the same in the eighth. After a leadoff walk to Robinson Cano, Cabrera delivered the game-winning blast, barely clearing the fence in left. Mariano Rivera hiccupped a little, but did his thing in the ninth. Full box score here.
Thoughts:
I am so impressed with Melky this season. Where is this all coming from? For Wang, the bright side was he only walked one and struck out five. Not a great start by any means, but I would call it promising.
Noteworthy Performances:
- Teixeira’s return to the lineup had a huge impact in the outcome of today’s game. Three more RBI puts him in the top five in the AL.
Up Next:
The Yankees stay at home, while the AL champs visit the Bronx for a four-game series. Friday night’s matchup features two dominant lefties. The Rays send out David Price (1-0, 3.00), and the Yankees counter with CC Sabathia (5-3, 3.46).
