Yankees Series Thread vs. Texas Rangers

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Ivan Nova (1-0, 6.10 ERA) vs. Matt Harrison (2-0, 1.90 ERA) on Jackie Robinson Day at the Stadium on the 64th anniversary of Robinson breaking MLB's color barrier, a fore-runner to the Civil Rights movement that became prevalent throughout the 1960's.

Tonight is the opening game of the Series; the Rangers are without Josh Hamilton, their notorious Yankee killer.
Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz, Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler all hit less than .250 against the Yankees in their career.

Mitch Moreland was 7/15 in the ALCS against the Yankees, Michael Young hits .294 against the Yankees in 300+ ABs for his career.

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Nova walks Kinsler quickly, Kinsler is running on a hit-and-run, Andrus misses the pitch and Martin guns out Kinsler.

Thank God Posada isn't the catcher anymore.

Andrus grounds softly to Cano.
Nova strikes out Young swinging to end the inning.

0-0 after the first three Texas batters.

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Notable Yankees vs. Texas
Cano hits .309 in 175+ career ABs
Jeter hits .318 in 500+ career ABs
ARod hits .316 with 16 HR in 400 career ABs
Gardner hits .326 in 40+ career ABs
Swisher hits .246 with 16 HR in 280+ career ABs
Posada hits .308 with 18 HR in 300+ career ABs
Teixeira hits .263 with 5 HR in 90+ career ABs

ARod is on fire now, hitting .412 with 4 HR and a .512 OBP

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Bottom 1st:
Jeter dribble a single up the middle leading off against the lefty.
Swisher laces a single to right-center, Jeter chooses wisely not to run on Borbon's arm.
Teixeira strikes out on a foul tip into the Torrealba's mitt.
ARod grounds a 3-1 changeup to 3rd, Beltre-Kinsler-Moreland (5-4-3) double play; inning over.

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Really disappointing bottom of the first; 1st and 2nd with no one out and Harrison works out of it? After falling behind to ARod and Teix?

We need to keep his pitch count up; the Rangers are notorious for letting their starters pitch deep into games.

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Top of the 2nd:
Beltre doubles to LF; Andruw Jones can't get there, but I'm pretty sure Gardner would have made the play.
Cruz lines a single to RF; Beltre held at 3rd. Now it's 1st and 3rd with no one out for David Murphy.
Murphy grounds into a double play (Cano-Jeter-Teixeira), Beltre scores.
Nova walks Torreabla on 4 pitches.
Moreland rips a hard grounder off of Teixeira, Cano fields the deflection and throws it to Teixeira covering 1st to end the inning.

After one and a half, its 1-0 Texas.

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Bottom 2nd:
Cano grounds to his counterpart Kinsler for the first out.
Jones lines to Kinsler for the second out.
Posada walks on 5 pitches. Martin, my boy, to the plate.
Martin flies to Cruz to end the inning.

After 2, 1-0 Texas.

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Top 3rd:
Borbon flies to his counterpart, Granderson in CF.
Kinsler walks. Nova's really got to limit his walks.
On a 3-1 pitch, Andrus grounds to ARod, who throws to Cano, who drops the ball.
The umpire calls out Kinsler, saying the ball was dropped on the transfer, but it wasn't. Lucky break for Nova.
Nova's got to be extremely careful with Andrus on 1B.
Young rips a 400ft 2B off of the CF wall; Andrus scores easily from 1B.
Young passes Pudge Rodriguez for the Rangers career record in 2Bs.
Nova strikes out Beltre to end the inning.

After two and a half, 2-0 Texas.

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Apparently the Yankees brought up Lance Pendleton, a former rule 5 pick, to take Hughes' roster spot.

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Bottom 3rd:
Granderson smacks a ball deep into RF, Cruz makes a running, leaping stab at the ball, but it hits the heel of the glove. Scored an (2B E9).
Apparently, the Yankees spliced together a mix of Bob Sheppard saying "number 42" and "Derek Jeter" so Jeter could continue to come to the plate to the dulcet tones of the former Yankees PA announcer.
Jeter flies to the same spot in RF that Grandy did, but Borbon catches it. Grandy advances to 3B.
Swisher slaps a single up the middle, Granderson scores.
Teixeira grounds into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

After 3, Texas 2, Yankees 1.

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Top 4th:
Cruz strikes out swinging.
Murphy pops to Cano in the OF grass.
Torrealba grounds to Jeter.

After 3 and a half, Texas has a 2-1 lead.

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Bottom 4th:
ARod walks.
Cano grounds into a 4-6-3 double play.
What the hell. Quit it with the goddamned double plays!
Jones fouls out to first.

Through 4 full, Yankees trail by 1.

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Top 5th:
Moreland walks.
Borbon hit by a pitch. Rothschild out to talk to Nova.
Why don't we just take him out? He just walked the #8 hitter and hit the #9 hitter.
Nova bounces an 0-2 pitch, Moreland and Borbon advance.
Kinsler grounds to 3B, Moreland scores, Borbon holds at 2B.
Robertson is warming in the bullpen
Nova walks Andrus.
Please, take him out.
Young rips a single, Borbon scores from 2nd.
Nova is taken out of the game (four batters too late)
Robertson in the game, bounces a pitch to Beltre, Andrus and Young advance.
Kill me now. Can we dig up Christy Mathewson?
Beltre pops to LF, no one advances.
Cruz walks on a wild pitch, Andrus scores, Young advances.
Murphy strikes out.

Rangers get 3 runs on 1 hit, and now lead 5-1.
Can we regain victory in the fashion of last night?
Something tells me we will not.

After 4 and a half, 5-1 Texas.

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Bottom 5th:
Posada walks on 4 pitches.
He was grabbing at his neck, which appears to be stiff. Maybe he should lay off of the Viagra.
Martin strikes out swinging on an inside fastball.
Granderson grounds one up the middle that Andrus somehow gets to, he turns and throws and just misses getting Granderson. Single for Cutris.
Jeter grounds to Harrison, who throws high to 2nd, Andrus makes a crazy grab/base touch and throws Jeter out at first.

Four double plays in one game. That's how you swing the bats

After 5, Texas 5-1.

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Top 6th:
Boone Logan is in the game, and I'm thinking about stopping my updates because this is just getting pathetic.
Torrealba flies to Swisher.
Moreland walks.
Borbon flies to Granderson.
Kinsler grounds to Jeter who flips to Cano to end the inning.

After five and a half, Texas leads by 4.