NEW YORK — Ian Kinsler walked on four pitches to start the game and Texas’ leadoff batter was off and running.
He didn’t stop until he stole third and scored on Michael Young’s hit off Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning to give the Rangers their second straight win over the New York Yankees, 3-2 on Tuesday night.
Kinsler led off the ninth with a double down the left field line off Rivera and then stole third, his third stolen base of the game.
“I didn’t want to lose this game so I had to make it,” Kinsler said.
Young hit a hard grounder through a drawn-in infield to score Kinsler for the Rangers’ first run off Yankees relievers in four-plus innings.
“It’s just taking advantage of what we can do,” Texas manager Ron Washington said. “It worked out perfect for us, Michael putting the ball in play. Good things happen when you put the ball in play.”
Rivera (2-3), who started the ninth after Dan Giese, Dave Robertson and Jose Veras held the Rangers to one hit in four innings in relief of Joba Chamberlain. Rivera has still not allowed a run in a save situation this season. All four runs he has allowed have come in games that were tied.
“It doesn’t mean more,” Kinsler said of beating Rivera. “It’s just tougher to do, to squeeze out that run in the ninth is big.”
Losers of three straight, the Yankees have had trouble scoring runs recently. They have scored seven runs in the past four games after a 9-0 win over the Mets in a second game of a doubleheader last Friday.
“It stinks,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “You’re looking for consistency. It’s not an offense that should struggle.”
Frank Francisco (2-2) pitched the eighth for the win. C.J. Wilson walked the leadoff batter in the ninth, but got three outs for his 19th save in 21 chances. Derek Jeter, who got the night off, was in the on-deck circle when Wilson got the final out.
Sidney Ponson, in his second stint with New York, will face his former team in the series finale Wednesday. Ponson was waived by Texas on June 16 for what Washington said before Tuesday’s game was “his philosophy didn’t gel with ours.”
Chamberlain struggled with his control in his sixth start. After throwing 114 pitches in 6 2-3 innings to earn his first win as a starter on Wednesday in Pittsburgh, he needed 91 pitches just to get through four innings Tuesday.
Chamberlain said he struggled with his mechanics.
“I wasn’t finishing in the beginning. I felt better later,” Chamberlain said. “Not going to be perfect every time.”
Walks to the first two batters in the second led to two runs for Texas, but it could have been much worse. The Rangers had two runners thrown out trying to advance to third on consecutive RBI hits by Chris Davis and Jarrod Saltalamacchia that gave Texas a 2-0 lead.
Chamberlain had his most electrifying moment of the outing when he struck out Kinsler with a 99 mph fastball to end the inning with a runner on first.
Chamberlain allowed two runs and five hits in four innings. He walked four and struck out six.
“Some days you’re going to have your ‘A’ stuff and some days you’re not,” Girardi said. “He battled through it, he worked so hard to get to that 91 pitches.”
Rangers starter Kevin Millwood was removed after allowing a run and five hits in five innings. The right-hander took a grounder off his right shin in the second inning and it got progressively worse.
“The shin sort of swelled up on him and started aching so we had to take him out,” Washington said. “After the fifth he came in and sat down and it was aching too much.”
X-rays were negative and Washington doesn’t think Millwood will miss a start. Millwood struck out six, but was hurt by his one walk in the fourth.
After Jason Giambi walked with one out, Jorge Posada singled off the wall in right, sending Giambi to third. Robinson Cano followed with his eighth hit in 41 at-bats with runners in scoring position and less than two outs to make it 2-1.
The Yankees, who were held scoreless in 3 1-3 innings by the Rangers bullpen on Monday, tied it off Josh Rupe in the sixth inning.
Jeter’s fill-in, Wilson Betemit, had a two-out RBI single that tied it 2-all. The Yankees used three hits with two outs to score the tying run.
Notes: Girardi said injured OF Hideki Matsui will likely take
batting practice on Thursday or Friday. … Rangers LHP Eddie Guardado, who hurt his shoulder Monday warming up, had better range of motion Tuesday and in the worst case would be ready to pitch this weekend. … Texas DH Milton Bradley struck out his first two times up and had struck out six straight at-bats before hitting a double in the fifth.
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