(Sports Network) – Julio Borbon and Elvis Andrus each drove in a run and scored with two outs in Texas’ three-run seventh inning, helping the Rangers complete a rare three-game sweep of the Yankees with a 4-1 decision behind a seemingly healthy Cliff Lee.
Lee (11-8) had his last start skipped to rest an ailing back after the former Cy Young winner pitched to an 8.28 earned-run average over five winless outings. The rest did the veteran some good, as he held New York to one run on two hits and three walks over eight-plus innings.
Neftali Feliz closed out the AL West-leaders’ fifth straight win by striking out the side in the ninth after Lee walked Derek Jeter to open the inning.
Dustin Moseley (4-3), starting in place of Phil Hughes (rest), was touched for four runs on five hits and two walks in 6 2/3 innings for the Yankees, who had not been swept in a three-game series the entire season.
New York still holds a half-game lead over the Rays atop the AL East and heads to Tampa Bay to start a three-game series on Monday, the first of seven meetings between the contenders over the next 11 days.
Lee walked Jeter to open the game, then erased the runner by getting Curtis Granderson to bounce into a 1-6-3 double play.
The crafty left-hander retired 14 straight from there until Eduardo Nunez singled to center with one out in the sixth. Two batters later, Jeter doubled to make it a 1-0 game.
Texas tied the game without a hit in the bottom half, as Andrus walked, stole second, moved to third on a flyout to right and scored on David Murphy’s fielder’s choice grounder.
Ian Kinsler opened the pivotal seventh with a walk, and flyouts from Mitch Moreland and Matt Treanor moved the runner to third in front of Borbon, who put down a perfect drag bunt and beat Moseley to the bag to score the go-ahead run.
Borbon then swiped second and came in on Andrus’ base hit up the middle, ending Moseley’s day. Michael Young greeted Jonathan Albaladejo with another run-scoring hit for a 4-1 contest.
Feliz’s perfect ninth resulted in his 36th save of the year.
Game Notes
This was Texas’ first sweep over the Yankees in Arlington since April 6-7, 1996…The Yankees’ last three-game sweep came at the hands of the Angels last July…These teams split the eight-game season series…Before the game, the Yankees recalled first baseman Juan Miranda and infielder Kevin Russo from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.