Yankees pull into a tie with Seattle for the second Wild Card with win over Rangers.
Brian Cashman's newest additions keep paying off as Brandon McCarthy shined in another start as a Yankee, pitching six innings of one-run ball in the Yankees' victory over the Rangers. McCarthy struck out five and allowed four hits and two walks to Texas batters with the only real blemish coming when Elvis Andrus drove in Rougned Odor in the third inning to put the Rangers up 1-0. The newest Yankee, Chase Headley, drove in Brett Gardner in the fourth inning to tie the score. New York's offense managed to be a little better for the rest of the game and the Yankees picked up their third straight victory and the series win.
Adam Warren was responsible for the only other Rangers run of the game when J.P. Arencibia drove a ball deep to left field for a solo shot that pulled Texas within one run. Matt Thornton retired the only batter he faced. Dellin Betances came in and continued his domination of the eighth inning with yet another strikeout. David Robertson struck out two and walked one when he came in to close the door in the ninth. Bullpen formula working to perfection really helps when you have two guys like Betances and Robertson waiting at the end.
Gardner got the offense started after three hitless innings with a fourth inning double before coming around to score on Headley's single. Francisco Cervelli continued his hot hitting with an RBI double in the fifth inning that scored Ichiro Suzuki from first base. Gardner drove in the Yankees' third run of the game with a sac fly in the fifth inning, and Brian McCann gave the team a nice insurance run to work with in the eighth inning when his RBI double plated Carlos Beltran.
The Yankees have now won their first two series after the All-Star break and sit 2.5 games behind the AL East-leading Baltimore Orioles, pending the Orioles' results tonight on the west coast. They also move into a three-way tie for the second Wild Card spot with the Mariners and Blue Jays, seven and a half games back of the first Wild Card. Tomorrow begins a series against the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium, which is a good time to create some distance between the team they are currently tied with in the division. Time to keep it rolling. Hiroki Kuroda will get the start opposite Mark Buehrle tomorrow at 7:05 pm.