Three solo blasts help Rangers cruise past Yankees
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Adrian Beltre hit a solo homer and drove in three on Wednesday and the Rangers cruised past the Yankees, 7-3, in the finale of a three-game series.
Mike Napoli and Mitch Moreland also hit solo home runs while Ian Kinsler went 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored for Texas, which won the final two games of this series to improve to 15-4.
Scott Feldman, making his first start of the season, allowed two runs on six hits over 3 1/3 innings and reliever Robbie Ross (4-0) tossed 2 2/3 scoreless frames for the win.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Raul Ibanez had a solo homer and an RBI double for New York. Phil Hughes (1-3) lasted just 2 2/3 innings and surrendered four runs on five hits in the loss.
"It's been frustrating," Hughes said of his start to the season. "Something has to change."
Beltre began the scoring with a leadoff shot to deep center in the second and the Rangers added to the early lead with a three-run third.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Moreland reached with a one-out single, advanced to second on Kinsler's double and crossed the plate on an Elvis Andrus groundout. Hughes then hit Josh Hamilton before Beltre scored Kinsler with a line drive to right. Michael Young's subsequent double pushed another run across and Hughes was relieved after hitting Nelson Cruz to load the bases. Clay Rapada grounded out David Murphy to prevent further damage.
The Yankees responded in the fourth when Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira began the inning with consecutive singles and Ibanez belted a one-out ground-rule double to left-center, scoring Cano and chasing Feldman.
Ross entered and allowed Teixeira to come home on Eric Chavez's sac fly, but Russell Martin lined out to end the inning and New York failed to register a hit against the rookie over the next two frames.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"He has been tremendous," Rangers manager Ron Washington said of Ross. "We brought him in tonight and we needed him to give us exactly what he gave us."
Napoli led off the fourth with a homer and Moreland began the sixth with a shot to right before Beltre added a bases-loaded single later in the inning, making it 7-2.
Ibanez homered off of Neftali Feliz in the seventh to cap the scoring.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Game Notes
The Rangers won their club-record sixth consecutive series to begin a season...Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter went 2-for-4, stretching his hit streak to 15 games. He has 11 multi-hit games this season... On Wednesday, the Yankees announced that pitcher Michael Pineda will undergo season-ending arthroscopic surgery on May 1 to repair an anterior labral tear. Pineda was acquired from Seattle this offseason in a deal that sent top prospect Jesus Montero to the Mariners.