NEW YORK (AP) – Shin-Soo Choo hit a go-ahead single and a three-run homer in a 10-run third inning that chased CC Sabathia from his shortest start in six years, and the Texas Rangers routed the reeling Yankees 15-4 Saturday to send New York to its ninth loss in 10 games.
Shoo and Prince Fielder each had two hits in the third, when Texas sent 14 batters to the plate. Fielder finished with three RBIs and hit his third homer in a two games, a two-run drive in the seventh off Branden Pinder.
Every starter had at least one hit for Texas. The Rangers, who rode a seven-run third Friday to a 10-9 win, won their fourth straight and at 20-23 are three games under .500 for the first time since they were 6-9. New York lost its fifth in a row.
The game was such a rout that Garrett Jones, a right fielder and first baseman, relieved for the Yankees. In the first pitching appearance of his eight-season big league career, he worked around a walk and a hit batter to get the final two outs of the ninth on a groundout and flyout.
Nick Martinez (4-0), who pitched just 3 miles from Yankee Stadium for Fordham in 2009 and 2011, beat New York for the first time in three career starts. The 18th-round draft pick, who has a 1.96 ERA, allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings, including a pair of solo home runs. He has given up three earned runs or fewer in 15 consecutive starts.
Shortstop Didi Gregorius, right fielder Carlos Beltran and catcher John Ryan Murphy all made fielding miscues in the third, the highest-scoring inning for the Rangers since an 11-run third against Houston in a 16-5 win over Aug. 29, 2013, according to STATS.
The Yankees allowed double-digit runs in an inning for the first time since a 14-run second in a 22-4 loss to Cleveland on April 18, 2009.
New York’s season has been split into three segments: a 3-6 start, an 18-6 spurt that built a four-game AL East lead and their first 1-9 skid since May 28-June 7, 2005, which has dropped them to 22-21 overall.
Sabathia (2-6) allowed six runs and seven hits in 2 1-3 innings, his briefest outing since June 21, 2009, against the Marlins, when he left after 1 1-3 innings because of a tight left biceps. He had been 4-0 with a 1.15 ERA in four career starts with the Yankees when New York entered with a losing streak of four games or more.
Sabathia walked No. 9 hitter Jake Smolinski opening the third. Delino DeShields grounded the ball up the middle, where Gregorius stopped it with a slide, then tried a fancy back flip with his glove toward second only to have the ball bounce toward right.
DeShields wound up with an infield hit, Choo’s single put Texas ahead and Fielder followed with an RBI single to right. Choo also scored when Beltran allowed the ball to roll past him for an error.
Adrian Beltre singled and, one out later, moved up on Murphy’s passed ball. Elvis Andrus’ two-run single made it 5-0 and chased Sabathia.
Carlos Corporan hit an RBI double against Esmil Rogers, Smolinski followed with a sacrifice fly and Choo had an opposite-field homer down the left-field line.
Beltran homered in the sixth and Gregorius in the seventh, Gregorius’ second of the season and second in two days.
UP NEXT
Rangers: Yovani Gallardo (3-6) has lost four of his last five starts going into Sunday night’s game against the Yankees.
Yankees: Chris Capuano (0-1), Sunday’s starter, lost at Kansas City last weekend in his season debut after recovering from a strained quadriceps. He allowed four runs in three innings.