Not a great way to start a 10-game road trip.
Joba Chamberlain fell apart in the fifth and then left with an injury, Xavier Nady provided a lift with a game-tying homer in the eighth, but Damaso Marte give up a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth as the
Rangers slapped the Yanks 9-5 in Texas. The Bombers blew leads of 3-0 and 4-2 in this one en route to a disappointing loss. They also missed a golden opportunity to gain ground on the Rays and Red Sox, as both teams lost on Monday.
All loses hurt, but some hurt more than others.
This was one of those loses.
The Good:Jason Giambi. Mustache? We don't need no stinkin' mustache! The Giambino waved goodbye to the upper lip hair and responded with three hits. Giambi sliced an RBI-single to left in the first to give the Yanks a quick 1-0 advantage. Then Jay Jay clubbed a solo shot into the upper deck in the fourth to give the Bombers a 2-0 lead. The 'stache obviously ran its course, but I'll admit it, I'm gonna miss it. Giambi finished 3 for 4 with a run scored and 2 RBIs.
Xavier Nady. The Yanks seemed poised to go down meekly after blowing a 4-2 lead, but Nady wouldn't allow it. X blasted an opposite-field home run in the eighth, his fourth since putting on the pinstripes, to tie the score at 5-5. It went for naught, but Xavier once again proved he can come through in the clutch. Because of his tenacity, his X-Man persona for Monday will be Wolverine. Nady finished 2 for 4 with a run scored and a ribbie.
The Bad:Damaso Marte. The Yankee lefty fell into trouble as soon as he toed the rubber with one out in the eighth. David Murphy greeted the reliever with a triple to right, but Marte rallied and retired Chris Davis and Jarrod Saltalamacchia to end the threat. Things didn't go so swimmingly in the ninth. Marte recorded two outs, but also managed to walk the bases loaded. Then Marlon Byrd stepped up and destroyed the first pitch he saw deep into the Texas night to give the Rangers the victory. Why did Joe Girardi stick with Marte? Good question. Marte picked up his first loss as a Yankee with this: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 2 K, 1 HR.
Joba Chamberlain. It was easily the worst career start for the young right-hander. The Yankees spotted Joba an early 3-0 lead and then got a run right back after the Rangers cut the lead to 3-2 in the fourth. But the fifth frame turned out to be the inning from hell for Joba and the Yanks. The Rangers had a runner on first with no outs when Ian Kinsler tapped a little dribbler in front of the plate. Ivan Rodriguez pounced on it and turned it into a double play -- at least it was called a double play at first. But second base umpire Bob Davidson ruled that the ball hit Kinsler while he was still in the batter's box. The replay was inconclusive (at best) and the play was overturned. I don't know how Davidson felt confident enough to overrule the call from his position at second, but the play stood. Kinsler eventually worked a walk and with one out, Michael Young belted a three-run homer to give Texas a 5-4 lead. Then it got worse. Chamberlain struck out Josh Hamilton for the second out, but then started lingering around the mound. Joe Girardi and Stevey Donahue ran out to investigate and Chamberlain pointed to his right shoulder. And that was the end of Joba's night. Right now the Yanks are calling it a "stiff shoulder." He'll miss his
next start. Let's hope that's all he'll miss. This team has shown a lot of resiliency this season, but I don't know if they could overcome Joba missing significant time. Chamberlain's no-decision went like this: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 2 HR.
The Ugly:Crazy from the heat. This was a wacky game almost from the get-go. Alex Rodriguez was called out on strikes in the third inning when he wasn't granted time from home plate ump Andy Fletcher. The Yanks pushed across a run in the fourth thanks in large part to two balks by Vicente Padilla. Ivan Rodriguez got crossed up in the fifth on a pitch with a runner on first base. And finally, Pudge almost took Joba's head off in the fifth during the double play that was called a foul ball. They just shouldn't play ball when the temperature reaches 150 degrees.
The Yanks will try and regroup from this loss and send Andy Pettitte (12-8, 4.18 ERA) to the hill. Texas will start Matt Harrison (2-2, 7.40 ERA). Harrison will be making just his sixth career start on Tuesday. The 22-year-old has given up 31 hits and has issued 14 walks in 24 1/3 innings this season. Pettitte was roughed up in his last start against the Angels and hasn't faired well pitching in his home state. Andy is 2-3 with an 8.10 ERA in six career starts in Texas.
Let's see if Pettitte can provide a pick-me-up.
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I'm going to miss the mustache, too. Kind of reminds me of Mattingly's days. Just the look, not the level of play.