Yankees hope to end homestand on high note vs. Rangers

The New York Yankees are producing uneven results on their longest homestand of the season because their pitching staff has struggled to prevent big innings.

The Yankees hope to avoid finishing their homestand with a losing record Sunday afternoon when they face the Texas Rangers in the finale of a three-game series.

Although New York is 9-4 in its past 13 after losing 23 of its previous 33, it is 4-4 on its homestand because of pitching struggles. The Yankees have allowed 42 runs since returning home and have given up 26 in dropping three of the past four games.

After winning three of the first four games, New York conceded a six-run second and a six-run fifth inning while getting outscored 17-6 in the last two games of a series against the Los Angeles Angels.

The Yankees opened their doubleheader Saturday by cruising to an 8-0 rout but Luke Weaver allowed five runs in the sixth in the nightcap. Weaver came in for Gerrit Cole, who was lifted after facing the first batter of the sixth and throwing 90 pitches.

"It hurts," Weaver said. "You feel a little shell-shocked from it but just got to keep pushing forward, knowing there's another game tomorrow."

Texas is 4-9 in its past 13 games and attempting to win a series for the first time since sweeping the Chicago White Sox as part of its five-game winning streak July 21-25. The Rangers had five hits and stranded nine in the first game Saturday but they collected 10 of their 16 hits against New York relievers in the second game.

Corey Seager hit a three-run homer and has six homers in his past eight games while hitting .328 with seven homers in 16 games since July 24. Adolis Garcia had three hits and reached base four times as the Rangers collected at least 16 hits for the seventh time this season.

"They swung it," Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. "That's what you're hoping to see. The guys go up there and have good at-bats like we did. We had a great rally there and just the line kept moving. A lot of good things. That's more our baseball there."

New York's Marcus Stroman (7-6, 4.10 ERA) will start for the first time since allowing a season-high seven runs on eight hits in 2 2/3 innings of an 8-5 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 2. Stroman is 0-3 with a 7.56 ERA over his past six outings since June 22 and has not pitched longer than 5 1/3 innings in those games.

Stroman is 2-3 with a 6.00 ERA in five career starts against the Rangers.

Andrew Heaney (4-11, 3.98), who is coming off one of his best outings of the season, gets the ball for Texas. Heaney took a no-decision Monday at home against the Houston Astros but allowed one run on one hit in six innings, marking the sixth time he allowed one earned run or fewer this season.

Heaney is 2-3 with a 3.59 ERA in his past eight outings since June 19 and last week's outing came after he was tagged for six runs in 4 1/3 innings at St. Louis on July 31.

Heaney, who was 2-2 with a 7.32 ERA in 12 appearances for the Yankees in 2021, is 1-3 with a 5.29 ERA in six career starts against New York.

--Field Level Media