Preview: Yankees (7-10) at Rangers (10-9)
Game: 2
Venue: Globe Life Park in Arlington
Date: April 26, 2016 8:05 PM EDT
The promising start to A.J. Griffin's career was derailed after he had Tommy John surgery, forcing him out of the major leagues for the last two years before the Texas Rangers took a chance on him during the offseason.
It's been a long road back, but he's making is making the most of his new opportunity.
Griffin continues his comeback against the visiting New York Yankees looking to help the Rangers snap a four-game skid Tuesday night.
The right-hander's 21-11 record and 3.60 ERA in 47 starts with Oakland in 2012 and '13 seem like distant memories, but he's showing some of that promise with another AL West team.
Griffin (2-0, 3.18 ERA) has given Texas 17 innings over three starts after allowing two runs while striking out six in six innings of a 7-4 win over Houston on Thursday to outpitch reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel.
He settled down after giving up back-to-back doubles to start the game.
"I felt like me again," Griffin said. "I felt like I was able to spin the ball the way I wanted to. I was able to hit my spots better. Better lines where I was trying to throw my fastball. Everything was just better."
Griffin faced the Yankees three times while with the A's, going 2-0 with a 3.12 ERA. Remaining unbeaten against them could depend on the Rangers (10-10) getting their act together offensively.
Texas has scored five runs during its skid after scoring 24 times during a four-game winning streak. It was no-hit through six innings in Monday's 3-1 loss and finished with only three hits. Brett Nicholas' homer in the eighth accounted for the lone run.
Adrian Beltre is 0 for 7 over his last two after batting .435 during a six-game hitting streak.
'Obviously if you can get a big league team to go no hits (into) the seventh, you're doing something good," said first baseman Prince Fielder, who had one of the two hits off starter Nathan Eovaldi.
The Yankees (8-10) have won three of four following a 1-7 stretch and got solo homers from Jacoby Ellsbury and Starlin Castro on Monday. Ellsbury, Castro, Mark Teixeira and Austin Romine had two hits apiece.
Alex Rodriguez sat out after leaving Sunday's loss to Tampa Bay with stiffness in his left side. An MRI on his oblique came back negative and he hopes to be back in the lineup for this contest.
Outfielder Aaron Hicks, who has missed the last three, isn't expected back until the weekend because of left shoulder bursitis. The rest of the Yankees will try to provide enough offense for Luis Severino (0-2, 4.86).
Severino gave up two runs in six innings of New York's 7-3 loss to Oakland on Thursday, but he threw 103 pitches and allowed seven hits, putting his opponents' batting average at .352.
The right-hander had a 2.89 ERA in 11 starts as a rookie in 2015.
"He's a young man with a very good arm, and we need to get him on track to where he was last year," manager Joe Girardi told MLB's official website. "(There have been) some location mistakes with him. At times he hasn't had his slider, and that's important to him."
Game: 2
Venue: Globe Life Park in Arlington
Date: April 26, 2016 8:05 PM EDT
The promising start to A.J. Griffin's career was derailed after he had Tommy John surgery, forcing him out of the major leagues for the last two years before the Texas Rangers took a chance on him during the offseason.
It's been a long road back, but he's making is making the most of his new opportunity.
Griffin continues his comeback against the visiting New York Yankees looking to help the Rangers snap a four-game skid Tuesday night.
The right-hander's 21-11 record and 3.60 ERA in 47 starts with Oakland in 2012 and '13 seem like distant memories, but he's showing some of that promise with another AL West team.
Griffin (2-0, 3.18 ERA) has given Texas 17 innings over three starts after allowing two runs while striking out six in six innings of a 7-4 win over Houston on Thursday to outpitch reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel.
He settled down after giving up back-to-back doubles to start the game.
"I felt like me again," Griffin said. "I felt like I was able to spin the ball the way I wanted to. I was able to hit my spots better. Better lines where I was trying to throw my fastball. Everything was just better."
Griffin faced the Yankees three times while with the A's, going 2-0 with a 3.12 ERA. Remaining unbeaten against them could depend on the Rangers (10-10) getting their act together offensively.
Texas has scored five runs during its skid after scoring 24 times during a four-game winning streak. It was no-hit through six innings in Monday's 3-1 loss and finished with only three hits. Brett Nicholas' homer in the eighth accounted for the lone run.
Adrian Beltre is 0 for 7 over his last two after batting .435 during a six-game hitting streak.
'Obviously if you can get a big league team to go no hits (into) the seventh, you're doing something good," said first baseman Prince Fielder, who had one of the two hits off starter Nathan Eovaldi.
The Yankees (8-10) have won three of four following a 1-7 stretch and got solo homers from Jacoby Ellsbury and Starlin Castro on Monday. Ellsbury, Castro, Mark Teixeira and Austin Romine had two hits apiece.
Alex Rodriguez sat out after leaving Sunday's loss to Tampa Bay with stiffness in his left side. An MRI on his oblique came back negative and he hopes to be back in the lineup for this contest.
Outfielder Aaron Hicks, who has missed the last three, isn't expected back until the weekend because of left shoulder bursitis. The rest of the Yankees will try to provide enough offense for Luis Severino (0-2, 4.86).
Severino gave up two runs in six innings of New York's 7-3 loss to Oakland on Thursday, but he threw 103 pitches and allowed seven hits, putting his opponents' batting average at .352.
The right-hander had a 2.89 ERA in 11 starts as a rookie in 2015.
"He's a young man with a very good arm, and we need to get him on track to where he was last year," manager Joe Girardi told MLB's official website. "(There have been) some location mistakes with him. At times he hasn't had his slider, and that's important to him."
