NEW YORK _ Before the Yankees left Boston after being swept by the Red Sox last weekend, Aaron Boone talked about how his team needed to "right the ship" this week.
Well, the S.S. Yankees was steaming along with four straight victories until Friday night at Yankee Stadium. Then they ran smack into a relentless Texas Rangers offense and fell short despite a spirited comeback attempt.
Rookie first baseman Ronald Guzman hit three home runs _ two off Masahiro Tanaka and one off A.J. Cole _ as the Rangers outslugged the Yankees, 12-7, before 45,198 at the Stadium. Texas built a 9-1 lead after 5{ innings.
Guzman, a 23-year-old from the Dominican Republic, hit solo shots in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings. The middle one ended a rocky evening for Tanaka (9-3), who allowed six runs in five innings-plus.
After Tanaka and left-hander Mike Minor matched up with three scoreless innings apiece, Adrian Beltre (four RBIs) hit a two-run homer to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Tanaka had allowed one run in his previous 221/3 innings.
Guzman followed two batters later with a homer to make it 3-0. Elvis Andrus (4-for-5, three RBIs) had a two-run double in the fourth to give Texas a 5-0 lead.
Brett Gardner homered into the Yankees' bullpen in the fifth to make it 5-1. It was his 10th of the season.
Boone let Tanaka start the sixth with A.J. Cole warming, and Guzman hit a shot that went over the bullpen and into the stands. Tanaka punched his fist into his glove after Guzman's second homer. The righthander has allowed 22 home runs in 108 innings.
Cole, who came in with a 1.69 ERA in 16 relief appearances, didn't have it and wasn't helped by his defense.
After retiring his first two batters, Cole walked No. 9 hitter Drew Robinson. Shin-Soo Choo doubled and Rougned Odor singled to right to drive in Robinson. Right-fielder Shane Robinson threw home on a fly _ missing the cutoff man _ and Austin Romine fired to second to get Odor, who had rounded first. Didi Gregorius chased Odor back toward first, but his throw hit Odor for an error as a second run scored to make it 8-1. Andrus then singled home another run.
The Yankees closed to within 9-4 in the sixth on an RBI double by Miguel Andujar and a two-run single by Luke Voit. They avoided disaster earlier in the inning when Gregorius singled to right with Giancarlo Stanton on first. Stanton stopped at second, but Gregorius rounded first as if he were going for a double. Luckily for the Yankees, Choo didn't notice and threw to second, allowing Gregorius to scamper back to first.
Minor (9-6) went 52/3 innings and was charged with four runs.
In the seventh, Cole allowed Guzman's third home run of the game and 12th of the season (and the rookie's career). It was a drive off the top of the leftfield wall.
Romine (3-for-4, three RBIs) hit his seventh home run in the bottom half to make it 10-5. Beltre had a two-run double off Chad Green in the eighth to push the lead to 12-5, but Romine answered with a two-run single in the bottom half and it was 12-7. And that was that.
