Yankees end five-game losing streak thanks to David Bednar’s impressive save

Yankees Struggle in Texas, Hold Off Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas – Well, there’s not much good news from the Yankees’ latest road trip, but maybe this can be a silver lining.

If the Rangers had completed the sweep on Wednesday afternoon, they would have overtaken the Yankees for the final AL wild card spot. But the Yankees bullpen managed to hold their ground, perhaps just barely, as they tried to preserve their playoff hopes.

David Bednar clinched five saves using 42 pitches, helping the Yankees edge out the Rangers 3-2 at Globe Life Field.

In a nail-biting ninth inning, Bednar hit the first two batters, allowing for walks and singles. At that moment, Aaron Boone made his way to the mound with Kamilo Doval, who was warming up in the bullpen. Yet, Boone opted to stick with Bednar (who had thrown 35 pitches), and the former Pirate responded by striking out Adris Garcia to close it out.

Relieving Carlos Rodon, Bednar, along with Mark Reiter Jr. and Tim Hill, managed to get the final 12 outs for the Yankees, who now sit at 61-54.

Paul Goldschmidt broke the tie in the seventh with a pinch-hit home run, helping the Yankees dodge a loss against the Rangers, who are now 60-56. This marked Goldschmidt’s second home run in three games after a lengthy stretch without any.

Rodon lasted just five innings, becoming the seventh consecutive Yankees starter to struggle and fail to get through six. He only gave up two runs but allowed six hits and issued four walks, totaling 15 free passes over his last four starts.

Leiter, making his return after a month on the injured list, helped avert a jam by initiating a double play to get Rodon out of the sixth inning.

Hill entered in the seventh and got one out before falling into trouble with a single and catcher interference, putting runners on base. He then hit Corey Seager, prompting Boone to call on Delos Santos. Delos Santos walked Marcus Semien to load the bases but managed to get Garcia to fly out, escaping a tight spot.

The Rangers struck first in the third inning when Ezekiel Duran, a former Yankees prospect acquired in the Joey Gallo trade, hit a double off the left field wall. Sam Hagerty then brought him home with a single.

Rodon weathered a tough inning but managed to work out of a potential disaster with a double play initiated by Ryan McMahon.

The Yankees took the lead in the fourth, thanks to a patient at-bat from Jack Reiter. Cody Bellinger and Jackson Dominguez both walked, and Anthony Volpe followed with a key single to tie the game. Volpe and Domínguez then executed a double steal, giving the Yankees a 2-1 edge.

With runners on the corners, the Rangers’ manager Bruce Bochy made a strategic move, pulling left-handed pitcher Hobby Milner, who then secured two quick outs to thwart the Yankees’ threat.