Yankees blow lead, fail to rally in 4-2 extra-inning defeat to Rangers

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New York Yankees 2, Texas Rangers 4

NEW YORK — Adolis Garca hit a strong two-run home run on Michael King‘s first pitch in the 10th inning. This was a great show of skill. This big hit gave the Texas Rangers a 4-2 win over the failing New York Yankees on Friday night. It was their fifth win in six games.

Once more, the New York Yankees‘ offensive prowess faltered in the unfortunate absence of their powerful slugger, Aaron Judge, who was sidelined due to injury. In the month of June, the Yankees find themselves at the bottom of the major leagues, struggling with the lowest batting average and run production. Their offensive struggles have been evident, mustering a mere six hits or less in five out of their last six games. Remarkably, the team’s record stands at 10-16 during Judge’s time on the injured list, suffering 10 losses out of 16 since his toe injury. Conversely, when Judge has been available, the Yankees boast a commendable 31-19 record, highlighting his significant impact on the team’s success.

Since making his comeback from a strained hamstring, Giancarlo Stanton, the team’s notable power hitter, has been struggling at the plate, maintaining a batting average of a mere .096. In his last 52 at-bats, he has managed only 5 hits, which include a couple of solo home runs accounting for his sole RBI contribution.

Sitting atop the AL West division, the Texas team not only excels in their standings but also dominates the entire league in terms of scoring and batting average.

With precision and power, García seized the opportunity presented by King’s hanging curve and launched it effortlessly into the seats of the left-field, further adding to his impressive tally of 17 home runs and 60 RBI. King, on the other hand, has encountered recent challenges, evident in his struggle with a daunting 9.95 ERA over his last five appearances.

In the ninth inning, Joe Barlow (1-0) skillfully navigated around a two-out single, preserving the team’s lead. In the subsequent 10th inning, Will Smith took the mound and delivered a solid performance, securing his 14th save out of 15 opportunities.

In a moment of misfortune, Texas found themselves trailing 1-0 as Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Anthony Volpe failed to coordinate, resulting in Leody Taveras’ two-out popup dropping off Clarke Schmidt‘s pitch in the fourth inning. Adding to the unfortunate turn of events, Ezequiel Durán, who had reached first on an infield single, capitalized on Kiner-Falefa’s error in center field by scoring all the way from first base.

The fifth inning witnessed an unusual sequence involving Kiner-Falefa as he attempted to steal second base. Surprisingly, umpire John Bacon deemed him safe, despite Kiner-Falefa’s foot momentarily losing contact with the base. Displaying confusion, Kiner-Falefa began walking towards the Yankees’ dugout, only to be swiftly tagged out by shortstop Corey Seager. A thorough video review would likely have resulted in Kiner-Falefa being called out for his premature departure from the base.

In a critical moment during the eighth inning, Mitch Garver stepped up and delivered a clutch single with two outs, off the pitching of Yankees reliever Clay Holmes. This timely hit granted his team a valuable 2-1 lead. However, the Yankees fought back in the bottom half of the inning when pinch-hitter Kyle Higashioka executed a sacrifice fly against John King, effectively leveling the score once again.

In the second inning, New York managed to take the lead when Anthony Rizzo was struck by a pitch, followed by a one-out double from DJ LaMahieu, who had been struggling at the plate. LaMahieu’s hit ricocheted off the left-field wall on a bounce. With runners positioned on second and third base, Dane Dunning, the pitcher for Texas, induced soft grounders from the next three batters, all on the very first pitch they faced. Among them, Billy McKinney‘s grounder resulted in a run being driven in.

During his 5 1/3 innings on the mound, Schmidt, the Yankees’ pitcher, surrendered an unearned run along with six hits. On the other side, Dunning, the Texas pitcher, allowed two runs and five hits over an impressive seven-plus innings of play.

UP NEXT

Saturday’s matchup on the mound features Yankees’ right-handed pitcher Luis Severino, who currently holds a record of 0-2 with a 6.30 ERA. Opposing him will be Texas’ right-handed pitcher Jon Gray, who boasts an impressive 6-2 record and a 2.96 ERA.

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