Colon Struggles Early, Yanks Fall To Rangers 7-5
By Stephen Hawkins
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Julio Borbon drove in three runs, including the go-ahead run with a squeeze bunt, and the Texas Rangers beat the New York Yankees 7-5 on Saturday night after blowing an early five-run lead.
With Mitch Moreland running toward home on a 1-1 pitch in the sixth, Borbon laid down the bunt and almost beat the throw to first. That broke a 5-all tie before Michael Young had an RBI single, his fourth hit, later in the inning.
Young homered and Borbon had a two-run triple as the Rangers built a 5-0 lead after two innings off Bartolo Colon.
Arthur Rhodes (1-1), the third of five Texas pitchers, struck out the only two batters he faced. Neftali Feliz worked the ninth for his sixth save in as many chances. It was his first since returning Friday from a disabled list stint for shoulder inflammation.
The Yankees tied the game at 5 when Nick Swisher led off the sixth with a 419-foot homer off Brett Tomko that ricocheted off the facade of the second deck of seats in right field.
Moreland, who had three hits, led off the bottom of the sixth with a double off Boone Logan (1-2) before going to third on Chris Davis' single. Yankees manager Joe Girardi visited the mound, not to make a pitching change but seemingly expecting such a play and setting up the defense before the squeeze bunt.
Rangers starter Derek Holland was pitching with two outs and nobody on base in third, when everything starting coming apart for the left-hander.
Derek Jeter, playing his major league-record 2,303rd game at shortstop for the same team, doubled high off the left-field wall and Curtis Granderson walked before Mark Teixeira drove in a run with a bloop single to center. Alex Rodriguez then drew a walk to load the bases before Robinson Cano's triple got the Yankees within 5-4.
Cano hit a ball into the left-center gap and center fielder Borbon made an ill-advised diving attempt - coming up several feet short of getting a glove on the ball that bounced past him toward the wall.
Holland's shortest start of the season was done after his second consecutive leadoff walk to Jorge Posada, a .149 hitter batting eighth, to start the fourth. Holland walked five in his three-plus innings.
Young's solo shot in the first barely cleared the 14-foot wall in left for his first homer at home since last Aug. 15, a stretch of 35 games, and his second this season. His 21st career four-hit game pushed his AL-leading hits total to 47.
David Murphy led off the second with a ball that skimmed over the top of the 8-foot wall in right. Borbon's triple into the right-center gap came after Moreland singled and Davis walked. Ian Kinsler's sacrifice fly made it 5-0.
Notes: Jeter entered the game matched with Cal Ripken Jr. for the most games at shortstop with one team. Jeter had two hits and his 2,956 match Willie Keeler for 30th on baseball's career list. ... Colon, in his 28th career start against Texas, gave up five runs and nine hits in 4 1-3 innings. ... After four consecutive games with no players having multihit games, the Rangers had four Saturday night (Young, Murphy, Moreland, Borbon). ... Cano was robbed off a hit in the second when he was thrown out by Young, who in his seventh start at second base this season went up the middle to field a short-hopper and then made a quick throw to first. ... The Yankees on Sunday wrap up a stretch of 16 games in 16 days before a day off. They are 8-7 in that span.
