Rangers Blow Early Lead To Yankees 21-5
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ARLINGTON (AP) - Everything was looking good for the Texas Rangers after a five-run first inning.
They didn't get another hit after that, and couldn't stop the New York Yankees.
New York quickly overcame the big early deficit with 11 runs in the second inning, and went on to a 21-5 victory Tuesday night as the Rangers lost for the 12th time in their last 13 home games.
"My overall take is it's not the way we want to play the game of baseball. We struggled the whole night," manager Jeff Banister said. "We gave up 15 freebies — two catcher's interference, one error and the rest hit batters and walks."
Texas was up 5-0 after Yankees starter Chis Capuano retired only two of the 10 batters he faced in the first inning, allowing three hits and walking five.
But Diego Moreno (1-0), recalled by New York earlier Tuesday, took over and got Rougned Odor on an inning-ending grounder — part of 5 1-3 hitless innings as the 28-year-old rookie right-hander retired 16 of 17 batters he faced for his first major league victory.
Adam Warren pitched three innings for his first save.
Rangers starter Martin Perez (0-2) was gone after Alex Rodriguez, a day after his 40th birthday, hit an RBI double off the top of the 14-foot wall in left field. That put the Yankees up 6-5 with no outs, and they went on to add five more runs in the frame.
"Strange," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "I don't know if I've been a part of that where you give up five in the first and you don't give up another hit the rest of the game, and you score 21 runs. I don't know if I'll ever see that again."
But with Texas still up 5-1 with no outs in the second, with Brendan Ryan up and the bases loaded, second baseman Odor broke the wrong way on a grounder. Instead of getting an out, the ball went behind him and into the right-center field gap for a two-run double.
"It's a ground-ball double play, but I don't see the ball and everything started from there. It's my fault," Odor said. "I just read the bat and reacted."
The AL East-leading Yankees scored the most runs in the majors this season, winning for the eighth time in nine games. They are a majors-best 16-5 in July — matching their most wins in a month since August 2013.
Ryan doubled twice with three RBIs and Didi Gregorius had a bases-loaded triple in the 11-run second.
Chris Young started the big inning with a double and scored the first of his two runs in the frame when Chase Headley had the first of his two RBI singles in the inning. Young added his fourth career grand slam in the third.
Young finished with three hits and five RBIs, adding an RBI double in the sixth. Gregorius had a career-high four hits, a night after three hits and a career-best four RBIs in the series-opening 6-2 victory.
Brett Gardner scored five runs, including a two-run homer in the ninth off Adam Rosales, the Rangers utility infielder pitching for the second time this season.
Perez allowed eight runs in his third start since Tommy John surgery last year, and Wandy Rodriguez gave up seven runs in his one inning.
The only other team to have two pitchers in the same game who allowed at least seven runs in an inning or less was Toronto in a 23-1 loss to Baltimore on Sept. 28, 2000.
"I didn't throw the ball where I wanted to, and they hit everything," Perez said. "I threw a couple of good changeups, and they hit the ball good. The fastball to Rodriguez was in and he hit the ball good. It's Alex."
GIVING THEM UP
Texas had last allowed 11 runs in an inning April 23, 2008, against Detroit. The Tigers' 13 runs in an inning on Aug. 8, 2001, are the most allowed by the Rangers. Both of those were 19-6 wins for Detroit. ... It was the most runs given up by the Rangers since their 21-8 loss to Seattle on May 30, 2012.
LOT OF YANKEE RUNS
New York scored its most runs since a 22-9 win against Oakland on Aug. 25, 2011, and surpassed Baltimore's 19-3 win over Philadelphia on June 16. ... The Yankees sent 15 batters to the plate in the second, their highest-scoring inning since a 12-run first in a 17-3 win against Baltimore on July 30, 2011. The franchise record is 14 runs in the fifth inning of a 17-0 win against Washington on July 6, 1920.
UP NEXT
Yankees: Mashairo Tanaka (7-3, 3.64) tries to win his fourth consecutive start. The Japanese right-hander is the first Yankees pitcher since April 2013 to win at least three consecutive starts when pitching at least seven innings.
Rangers: RHP Colby Lewis (10-4), only the fifth Texas pitcher with at least five 10-win seasons, goes for his seventh win since June 5.
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