Game 101 Wrap-Up: TEX 3 NYY 1

(Courtesy of the AP)

The A-Rod stuff off the field reached soap opera levels of ridiculousness yesterday afternoon, but the Yankees still had a job to do on the field.  Last night that job was against a former familiar face in Matt Garza, the Rangers big deadline pickup.  The opposing lineup looked a lot different, and easier to navigate, to him than he probably remembered, and the Yanks really could have used a bounce back night from Robinson Cano to take the pressure off the rest of the batting order.  Typically they've pounded Garza in the past.  With the lineups they continue to roll out, what's typical means nothing.

Game Notes:

- Tale of the Yankee season in the 1st.  Got the first 2 runners on, had 'em on the corners with 1 out, scored 0 runs in the top half.  Andy Pettitte puts 2 on and gives up a 2-out RBI single to a lefty hitter to make it 1-0 Rangers in the bottom half.

- Wasn't much doing for the Yankee offense after the 1st.  Garza retired 12 of the next 13 batters he faced through the 5th, the only blemish a Cano single to lead off the 4th.

- Garza was his own worst enemy in the 6th, throwing a ball away on a Brett Gardner single that allowed Gardner to get the third base.  Another Cano single got the Yanks on the board and tied the game.

- Andy settled down and put up zeros himself to give the Yankees the chance to tie, then left a slider up to A.J. Pierzynski - the same guy who singled in the run in the 1st - with 2 outs in the bottom of 6th that Pierzynski hit for the go-ahead HR.  Just a crushing blow.

- Pettitte was out after putting 2 on to start the 7th and Shawn Kelley allowed an insurance run on a solo HR in the 8th.  A quiet offensive finish put a bow on another punchless loss.


F*ck Yeahs:

- Gardner & Cano: Combined 4-8, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K, 2 LOB.  There would have been no offense at all were it not for these 2 last night.

Oh Nos:

- Lyle Overbay: 0-4, 2 K, 4 LOB.  He's been brutal since last Saturday.

- Pettitte: 6 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K.  Andy didn't pitch a bad game at all.  2 runs allowed against Texas is nothing to be ashamed of.  But once again he was putting a lot of guys on base and working out of trouble early, and there's only so many times you can go to that well as a 41-year-old pitcher before you don't get away with it.  These days, it's almost like you wait around for Andy to have his last bad moment when he's out on the mound.

Next Up:

This series wraps up with an afternoon matinee today before the Yankees head home.  Hiroki Kuroda and Derek Holland are today's starting pitchers.