Rangers at Yankees
While the New York Yankees continue to make headlines off the field, they are making strides in the right direction on the diamond as well. New York will vie for its fourth win in five outings on Wednesday when it continues its three-game series against the visiting Texas Rangers. Ichiro Suzuki went deep with two outs in the ninth inning as the Yankees overcame Leonys Martin's first career two-homer game to record a 4-3 triumph in the series opener.
An ending like that would surely dominate the back pages of the tabloids in New York - had Alex Rodriguez opted not to share his feelings on Twitter. The injured slugger declared that Dr. Bryan Kelly "gave me the best news - the green light to play games again!" General manager Brian Cashman took issue with Rodriguez, telling him to "just shut the (expletive) up."
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN2, Fox Sports Southwest (Texas), YES (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers RH Justin Grimm (6-5, 5.57 ERA) vs. Yankees LH Andy Pettitte (5-5, 4.20)
Grimm posted his first victory since May 30 when he yielded three runs on as many hits in five innings against Oakland on June 19. The 24-year-old rookie has struggled on the road, posting a 2-3 mark with an inflated 7.01 ERA and 1.76 WHIP. Grimm, who has yet to face the Yankees in his young career, has issued five homers in his last four turns.
Pettitte has dropped his last two starts, permitting nine runs and 20 hits in the process. The 41-year-old has done his best to keep the ball in the yard versus Texas, yielding 11 homers in 23 career appearances. Pettitte is 11-9 in those starts, but owns a 5.24 ERA while allowing the high-powered Rangers to hit .302 against him.
WALK-OFFS
1. Martin is 15-for-34 during his 10-game hitting streak for Texas, which saw its season-high five-game winning streak come to an end. Martin has never faced Pettitte in his career.
2. The Yankees have won 16 of their last 21 home games versus the Rangers - and 12 of 16 overall in the series.
3. New York manager Joe Girardi is one win shy of 600 for his managerial career.