One game after squandering a five-run lead in their potential first home playoff win ever, the Texas Rangers used a complete team effort to make sure it didn't happen again, and tie up the ALCS in the process.
David Murphy homered and doubled to knock in two runs, Elvis Andrus stole home in the first inning, pitcher Colby Lewis put up a strong start and Texas beat the Yankees 7-2 in Game 2 of the ALCS in Arlington, Texas, Saturday.
The Texas bullpen, which imploded in an ignominous eighth inning in Game 1, held New York scoreless over 3 1-3 innings in relief of Lewis, who scattered six hits over 5 2-3 frames.Meanwhile, the Rangers, who staked their pitchers to a five-run lead in Game 1, touched Yankees All-Star Phil Hughes for seven runs and 10 hits, seven for extra bases.
The Rangers' offensive outburst was all the more bewildering for New York, considering who was on the mound. Hughes had pitched 15 1/3 scoreless innings in his career at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, including a no-hit bid he was forced to leave after a hamstring injury in his second major-league start.
Despite the offensive fireworks to come, Texas manufactured its first run. Andrus led off the first inning with an infield single, took second on a Hughes wild pitch and stole third base before Josh Hamilton drew a free pass.
Andrus and Hamilton then executed a double-steal to perfection, with Hamilton breaking for second but stopping shy of the bag and allowing himself to be caught in a run-down. Andrus then broke for the plate and swiped home without a tag, as New York second baseman Robinson Cano's throw to catcher Jorge Posada was wide and late anyway.
Murphy began to heat up at the dish in the second with a one-out upper-deck solo shot to right. After Mitch Moreland and Andrus singled with two down, Michael Young doubled the other way down the right-field line to plate Moreland for a 3-0 edge.
Texas continued to pile up its early lead with two more runs in the third inning. Nelson Cruz led off with a double, moved to second on Ian Kinsler's sacrifice bunt and came home on Murphy's double into the right-field corner. Bengie Molina followed with a two-bagger to the right-center-field wall to score Murphy.
The Yankees cut a run off their deficit in the fourth, when Lance Berkman singled off Moreland's glove to plate Cano, who had doubled on the first pitch of the inning and took third on a wild pitch.
But any momentum New York might have begun to build up was lost when Berkman was caught in no-man's-land and tagged out between first and second base, and the Rangers responded by tacking on two more runs in the fifth. Cruz led off with a double off the center-field wall and Kinsler tripled to score Cruz and chase Hughes.
Moreland greeted Yankees reliever Joba Chamblerlain with an opposite-field single through the left side to score Kinsler and take a 7-1 lead.
New York scored just once more after that, on a Cano homer halfway up the right-field upper deck in the sixth. Rangers relievers Clay Rapada, Alexi Ogando, Darren Oliver, Darren O'Day and Neftali Feliz picked up where Lewis left off, holding the powerful Yankee offense scoreless.
The series heads to New York for Game 3 Monday night, when Texas' Cliff Lee will oppose the Yankees' Andy Pettitte.
NOTES: Texas improves to 1-7 in home postseason games all-time, including 1-5 against the Yankees. They lost Games 3 and 4 of the ALDS to Tampa Bay at home. ... Andrus' swipe of home was the first in a playoff game since the Angels' Brad Fullmer turned the trick, also on a double-steal, in Game 2 of the 2002 World Series. ... Texas has homered in all seven of its postseason games. ... Cruz has hit safely in all seven playoff games. ... Andrus has reached base to lead off the Texas first inning in four straight games. ... Hamilton was the only Texas starter held hitless, but he walked four times, including two intentional passes.
BOX SCORE
Photo above: Elvis Andrus, second from left, steals home behind Jorge Posada, right, Saturday. (Barton Silverman/The New York Times)
Audio credit -- Texas Rangers Radio Network
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