Texas @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 28, 2016 ) Texas 7, NY Yankees 1

The New York Yankees may have squandered their best chance to knock off the American League-best Texas Rangers when a rain delay in the ninth inning on Monday turned the momentum. The Yankees will try to keep their hopes of a split in the four-game set alive when they host the Rangers in Game 3 on Wednesday.

The Yankees took a lead into the ninth inning on Monday before a three-hour, 35-minute rain delay brought things to a screeching halt, and Texas rallied for a 9-6 win after the lengthy pause. The Rangers followed that up with a 7-1 win on Tuesday and are winners of four straight and 12 of the last 14 to take over the major league lead in wins at 51-27. New York dropped two games under .500 with the two losses to Texas and has lost three in a row overall. The Yankees are trying to find a combination in the middle of the order at the designated hitter spot but Alex Rodriguez went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts in his return to the lineup on Tuesday after a two-game benching.

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

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers RH Nick Martinez (1-1, 5.54 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Masahiro Tanaka (5-2, 3.01)

Martinez is filling in while Yu Darvish, Derek Holland and Colby Lewis nurse injuries in the rotation but has yet to post a win in two starts. The 25-year-old held the Boston Red Sox to four runs on six hits – two home runs – in six innings on Friday but did not factor in the decision. Martinez will be making his fourth career start against New York and went 1-1 with a 4.00 ERA in the first three.

Tanaka earned the win in his last two starts, yielding a total of four runs in 14 innings while facing the MLB-worst Minnesota Twins in each outing. The Japan native allowed three runs or fewer in six of his last seven starts, going 4-2 in that span. Tanaka lost his only previous start against Texas on July 29 last season, yielding four runs and nine hits in six innings on the road.

WALK-OFFS

1. Yankees RF Carlos Beltran (hamstring) left Tuesday’s game in the first inning but had an MRI reveal no damage.

2. Rangers CF Ian Desmond has hit safely in 10 straight games and scored six runs in the last four contests.

3. Texas 3B Adrian Beltre is 8-for-18 with eight RBIs and seven runs scored in the last four games.

PREDICTION: Rangers 5, Yankees 4