Texas @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 27, 2016 ) Texas 9, NY Yankees 6

The Texas Rangers and the Yankees will fight fatigue when New York hosts the second contest of a four-game series Tuesday. Monday’s opener was halted in the ninth inning and delayed 3 hours, 35 minutes because of rain before the Rangers rallied after the delay for a 9-6 victory in a game that ended at 2:44 a.m. ET.

It was Yankees manager Joe Girardi prompting the delay with his team clinging to a 6-5 lead and closer Aroldis Chapman struggling with his control while the rain poured down in the ninth, and the drop off from Chapman to Kirby Yates after the delay turned out to be just what the Rangers needed. Yates got the chance to close and hit three batters while ahead in the count during Texas’ four-run rally in the ninth. The victory gave Texas (50-27) 50 wins before the end of June for the second time in team history and marked its fifth straight game scoring at least six runs. New York built its pitching staff around Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Chapman at the back of the bullpen but have been riding the trio hard of late and had Miller and Chapman each charged with a run Monday.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Texas), YES (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers LH Cole Hamels (8-1, 2.79 ERA) vs. Yankees LH CC Sabathia (5-4, 2.71)

Hamels has been a big part of Texas’ recent surge with five straight quality starts and wins in each of the last three. The California native allowed a total of two runs and 12 hits in 20 2/3 innings over his last three outings. Hamels is searching for his first career win over New York and was ripped for five runs in as many innings at New York as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies on June 24, 2015.

Sabathia had a string of seven straight starts allowing two or fewer earned runs come to an end when he was reached for six runs – five earned – and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings against Colorado on Wednesday. The burly veteran rolled his right ankle twice in that start but x-rays came back negative and he was able to make it through his bullpen session Saturday. Sabathia surrendered three runs on five hits and three walks in six innings to suffer a loss at Texas on April 27.

WALK-OFFS

1. Struggling Yankees DH Alex Rodriguez sat the last two games but is expected start against the left-handed Hamels.

2. Texas RF Shin-Soo Choo recorded multiple hits in three of the last four games.

3. New York 1B Mark Teixeira homered in each of the last two games after going a career-high 147 at-bats without one.

PREDICTION: Rangers 4, Yankees 3