Lewis Pitches Rangers Past Yankees 5-2
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ARLINGTON (AP) - Colby Lewis helped the Texas Rangers bounce back from a lopsided loss.
And they will apparently soon have another ace on their staff.
While Lewis was throwing six innings for his 11th victory, 5-2 over the New York Yankees on Wednesday night, a deal was in the works for the Rangers to acquire a left-hander who threw a no-hitter in his last start.
Two people familiar with the deal said that the Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to trade ace left-hander Cole Hamels to Texas for a package of prospects.
Both people spoke to The Associated Press late Wednesday night on condition of anonymity because the trade has not been finalized. Hamels has a limited no-trade clause but does not have to approve a deal to the Rangers.
"He's definitely a great pitcher. ... He's got a long track record of great success. It will be huge for us," Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland said after the game.
Rangers officials said they had nothing to report, and Lewis said he preferred not to comment on the trade report until full details.
On the mound, Lewis (11-4) provided a huge boost, winning his third straight start a night after the Yankees came back from a 5-0 deficit in the first inning to win 21-5.
"That's my job as a starting pitcher, that's what we're supposed to do, go out and keep the team in the game and see what happens," Lewis said. "I feel like (Tuesday) was kind of weird, just overall a weird game. Feel like this is a team, we don't really worry about what happened last night."
Adrian Beltre had two hits and scored twice for the Rangers, who won for only the second time in their last 14 home games.
After the Yankees scored two runs in the second, nine fewer than in the same inning the previous night, the Rangers went ahead to stay with three runs in the second off Masahiro Tanaka (7-4).
"He didn't throw the split for strikes. When you get in bad counts, you can't get hitters to chase because they can be more selective. His command was not great," manager Joe Girardi said. "I thought he kept us in the game tonight. That's what we ask of our starting pitchers. But we know he's capable of pitching better."
Beltre had a single to start the second, before Moreland walked and Josh Hamilton had the first of his two RBI singles in the game. Texas went ahead after run-scoring hits by Shin-Soo Choo and Delino DeShields.
Lewis struck out five while scattering seven hits and allowing two runs. He hit a batter but didn't have a walk while winning his third consecutive start, though he hadn't won at home since June 13.
Shawn Tolleson worked a perfect ninth with two strikeouts for his 18th save in 19 chances.
Beltre had another leadoff single in the fifth and came home when Hamilton grounded into a double play. While scoring a run, the play also ended the club record-matching nine consecutive games without a double play.
Hamilton had another RBI single in the seventh, giving the 2010 AL MVP 10 RBIs in his 26 games back with the Rangers. That includes four games with multiple RBIs.
Carlos Beltran led off the Yankees second with his eighth homer of the season. There were three consecutive two-strike, two-out singles — including Jacoby Ellsbury's for a 2-0 lead — before Brett Gardner's inning-ending fly ball.
New York had won four straight, and eight of nine.
BIG LEAGUE DEBUT
Caleb Cotham, the third Yankees pitcher, made his major league debut after being called up earlier Wednesday from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 27-year-old right-hander was the team's fifth-round draft pick out of Vanderbilt in 2009. Cotham was the 47th player used this season by the Yankees, matching Tampa Bay for the second-most in the majors behind Atlanta's 51. Texas has used 46 players.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Yankees: 1B Mark Teixeira was out of the starting lineup, but Girardi said it was a planned day off. Teixeira was hit on the foot by a pitch in Tuesday night's game.
Rangers: LHP Derek Holland begins his rehab assignment Thursday for Triple-A Round Rock, when he is expected to go two innings or 35 pitches. Holland has been out since a shoulder issue only one inning into the home opener.
UP NEXT
Yankees: RHP Michael Pineda, who leads the AL with a 7.8 strikeout-to-walk ratio, goes for his 10th victory.
Rangers: RHP Yovani Gallardo (7-9, 3.19 ERA) is set to start the series finale, at a time when he is being mentioned as a possible target for some contending teams before Friday's non-waiver trade deadline.
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