Monday, July 24, 2006
Yanks Take One in Texas
After a tumultuous weekend in Toronto, the Yankees were thrilled to escape the climate-controlled Rogers Centre, even if it meant playing in the scorching heat of Ameriquest Field.
Like the weather, the Yankees heated up, handing the Rangers a 6-2 loss to open the three-game series between American League contenders.
Randy Johnson tied Mike Mussina and Chien-Ming Wang with his 11th victory, allowing two runs over six innings. The Big Unit received plenty of run support, as the Yankees scored in five consecutive innings from the third through the seventh.
New York is two games behind Boston in the AL East, as the Red Sox play in Oakland late Monday night.
Mark Teixeira put the Rangers on the board first with a solo home run to left, his 14th of the season. Johnson put another man on base after committing an error, but he struck out Gerald Laird and Brad Wilkerson to end the inning and limit the damage.
The Yankees tied the game in the third with back-to-back two-out triples by Melky Cabrera and Derek Jeter. An inning later, Miguel Cairo gave New York a 3-1 lead with a two-run double.
The two teams exchanged runs in the fifth, but New York tacked on a run in both the sixth and seventh innings, getting a solo home run by Aaron Guiel and an RBI double by Alex Rodriguez, giving the Yanks a 6-2 lead.
Johnson left the game after six innings and 101 pitches, charged with two runs on seven hits. Johnson walked two and struck out seven, posting his eighth quality start in his last nine outings.
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Posted by Steve Kenul at 10:24 PM
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