ARLINGTON, Texas _ By just about any measure, Luis Severino was as good as he's been all season Saturday afternoon.
But it took some professional at-bats late by veterans Matt Holliday and Chase Headley to help keep the young pitcher from taking what would have been as close to an unfair loss as you would ever see.
An offense that slumbered pretty much all afternoon eventually scratched out enough to give the Yankees a 3-1 victory over the Rangers in front of 38,135 at Globe Life Park, a victory in which Aroldis Chapman, reinstated as the closer, earned the save.
Severino allowed one run and one hit (Texas' lone hit) over seven innings, but he departed trailing 1-0 as the Yankees had mustered nothing against Rangers righthander Andrew Cashner to that point.
Then, a break.
Cashner entered the eighth having retired 13 of the last 14 batters and hit Todd Frazier leading off. That was his 99th pitch of the afternoon and Rangers manager Jeff Bannister brought on lefty Alex Claudio to face Greg Bird. Joe Girardi countered with Holliday to pinch hit. The 37-year-old delivered, lining a 1-and-1 sinker to right, the single putting runners at the corners. Brett Gardner, who singled in his first two at-bats, fouled out to the catcher, but Headley came through with a sacrifice fly to center, tying it at 1.
Tyler Austin's clutch RBI single in the ninth pushed the Yankees ahead 2-1.
Starlin Castro led off the ninth with a single and Judge took over on a 5-4 fielder's choice. Jacoby Ellsbury, 10 for his last 21 coming in but 0-for-3 to that point, singled to right and Frazier was hit a second time with a pitch to load the bases. Austin, recalled from Triple-A on Tuesday and with only one at-bat since then, punched a 1-and-0 slider to left to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead. After Gardner popped out, Headley walked to force in Ellsbury to make it 3-1.
Chapman, whom Girardi before the game said again was the closer, recorded his 17th save with a perfect ninth, striking out two.
The story, however, was Severino. The 23-year-old came in a peripheral AL Cy Young Award candidate, 12-6 with a 3.03 ERA, including 7-2 with a 2.15 ERA in 10 starts after the All-Star break, a stretch in which he allowed one earned run or fewer in eight of those starts. Made it nine of 11 Saturday, striking out 10 and walking three.
The Rangers (71-70) entered the fifth without a run or a hit and departed the inning with one of each. Joey Gallo led off with a walk and was replaced at first when Will Middlebrooks beat out a potential double-play ball to third, a 5-4 force play. Severino struck out Odor, but Nicholas, the No. 9 hitter, ripped a 98-mph fastball the pitcher left up into the rightfield corner. Middlebrooks came around to score to make it 1-0.
