The Yankees take a 10-game postseason winning streak against Texas into Game 2 of the ALCS on Saturday.
Updated: 6:45 p.m.
ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers, for the second time in as many days, took a quick 5-0 lead against the Yankees in the ALCS. They stretched it to 7-2 through six innings.
The Rangers built their 5-0 lead in three innings Saturday in Game 2. On Friday night, they led 5-0 after four innings only to lose, 6-5, to a Yankee rally.
Texas went to work Saturday in a hurry against Phil Hughes. Elvis Andrus opened the game with a single, took second on a wild pitch, stole third and stole home on a double steal with Josh Hamilton. It was the first steal of home in the postseason since Brad Fulmer of the Angels in Game 2 of the 2002 World Series against San Francisco.
The Rangers made it 3-0 in the second. David Murphy homered off the facing of the upper deck in right field on Hughes' 2-0 pitch to make it 2-0. Then came three straight two-out hits by Mitch Moreland, Andrus and Michael Young to make it 3-0. Moreland scored on Young's double to right.
Texas made it 5-0 with two more runs in the third. After Nelson Cruz hit a leadoff double and went to third on a sac-bunt, Murphy and Bengie Molina hit consecutive singles to score the runs.
The Yankees made it 5-1 on Lance Berkman's two-out single in the fourth. The Ranger responded with two runs in the fifth to chase Hughes. Nelson Cruz opened the fifth with a double high off the center field fence. Ian Kinsler followed with a triple into the right field corner to make it 6-1.
Joba Chamberlain relieved and registered two quick strikeouts with Kinsler standing at third. Mitch Moreland bounced a single into left field to make it 7-1.
The Yankees made it 7-2 in the sixth with Robinson Cano's second homer in as many days. Cano went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBI in Friday's victory. Through six innings Saturday, he doubled and homered in three at-bats.
Ranger starter Colby Lewis didn't make it through the sixth. After Jorge Posada singles and Berkman walked with two out, Clay Rapada relieved and struck out Marcus Thames to end the inning.
Bobbing and weaving: Lewis worked his way through three scoreless innings for Texas, but wasn't sharp. He faced 13 Yankees in three innings, allowing two walks, one walk and hitting a batter.
He stranded four.
Lewis' best inning was the fifth when he struck out Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira.
The line: Hughes was hooked with no outs in the fifth. He allowed seven runs on 10 hits, three walks and a wild pitch in four innings. He threw 88 pitches, 57 for strikes.
Hughes threw seven scoreless innings in Game 3 of the ALDS against on Oct. 9.
Lewis allowed two runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out six on 102 pitches, including 67 strikes.
Pre-game notes:
Ron Washington says the Texas Rangers have rubber souls. It won't take long to find out if he's right or not.
The Rangers were six outs away from winning Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Friday night when they gave up five runs in the eighth inning to send the Yankees to a 6-5 victory.
"In a seven-game series, we probably let one get away," Washington told reporters before Game 2 Saturday afternoon. "My guys are resilient. They will show up and they will go out and fight hard. I would like to be in the same position and see what happens."
The Rangers have lost 10 straight playoff games to the Yankees.
Lineups:
Yankees: SS Derek Jeter (R), CF Curtis Granderson (L), 1B Mark Teixeira (S), 3B Alex Rodriguez (R), 2B Robinson Cano (L), RF Nick Swisher (S), C Jorge Posada (S), DH Lance Berkman (S), LF Brett Gardner (L) and RHP Phil Hughes.
Rangers: SS Elvis Andrus (R), 3B Michael Young (R), CF Josh Hamilton (L), DH Vlad Guerrero (R), RF Nelson Cruz (R), 2B Ian Kinsler (R), LF David Murphy (L), C Bengie Molina (R), 1B Mitch Moreland (L) and RHP Colby Lewis.
Umpires: H Tony Randazzo, 1B Jim Reyonlds, 2B Angel Hernandez, 3B Fieldin Culbreth, LF Brian Gorman, RF Gerry Davis. Davis, crew chief.
Quotes: Yankee manager Joe Girardi on the acquisition of reliever Kerry Wood from the Indians at the July 31 trading deadline: "I was excited because I knew Kerry's personality. I knew that the situation would not intimidate him."
Texas catcher Bengie Molina: "I think we're very good at shaking off a tough loss like Friday's. These guys are very loose. . .they enjoy the game. They forget things real quick. They don't get rattled by anything."
Pre-game numbers:
-In the 11 postseason games between the Yankees and Rangers, the Yankees have outscored them, 15-0, from the seventh inning on.
-The Yankees 10-game postseason winning streak against Texas is the second longest between two teams in history. Boston won 11 straight against the Angels.
-Shortstop Elvis Andrus and outfielder Nelson Cruz have hit in all six the Rangers postseason games this year.
-The Yankees entered Saturday's game hitting .324 (12-for-37) with runners in scoring position this postseason.
-Derek Jeter is MLB's postseason leader with 181 hits, 100 runs and 142 games played.