As Yankees search for offense, team grabs " biggest win of year " with 5-4 victory over Texas..

ARLINGTON, Texas — Eduardo Nunez
sprinted around the bases, eyes locked on
center field, watching an opportunity arise.
His helmet flew off after he passed first
base, having crushed a full-count slider off
Rangers closer Joe Nathan in the pivotal
moment of a 5-4 comeback victory.
Nunez’s hit tied the game in the ninth and
revived a moribund club. As he rounded
second, he saw outfielder Craig Gentry crash
into the wall. The baseball settled there. A
moment of comedy emerged from a mid-
season stretch marked by melancholy:
Overeager to score an inside-the-park
homer and pull his team ahead, Nunez
accelerated, stumbled and face-planted at
third.
“I tried too much,” Nunez said with a smile
inside a relieved clubhouse, happy enough
with his triple. “I fell over.”
Thus “the biggest win of the year,” as
outfielder Brett Gardner would call it,
would have to wait a moment. The go-
ahead hit belonged to recent call-up Brent
Lillibridge. He dunked a single into left
field. With one swing, Lillibridge atoned for
a sixth-inning error that led to a four-run
frame for the Rangers as the Yankees
(53-47) squandered an early three-run
advantage.
He also aided his manager, Joe Girardi, who
saw a decision that inning backfire. With
two outs, one on and a one-run lead,
Girardi removed starter Phil Hughes, who
had been scuffling all evening, despite
Texas’ lack of runs. Lefty specialist Boone
Logan promptly served up a two-run homer
to first baseman Mitch Moreland. But the
ninth inning eased the tension.
The victory could not have occurred at a
better time. The Yankees had lost five of
their last six. A cavalcade of forces – the
impending suspension of third baseman
Alex Rodriguez, the cratering performance
of designated hitter Travis Hafner, a year-
long, team-wide malaise at the plate – has
forced the front office into overdrive as
they hunt for upgrades before the July 31
trade deadline.
That search could lead to a reunion with
Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano, who the
Yankees traded away in 2004 to Texas in
order to acquire Rodriguez. The Yankees
are discussing a deal with Chicago for
Soriano, according to a person with
knowledge of the situation. The person
requested anonymity because nothing had
been finalized.
Earlier in the day, Chicago officials
downplayed speculation about Soriano.
Cubs manager Dale Sveum called the
discussion “overblown.” Team president
Theo Epstein said the Yankees weren’t “the
first team to call” about Soriano. For now,
the gap between the Yankees and Cubs
appears to relate to the payment of
Soriano’s salary. He makes $18 million this
season, and another $18 million for 2014.
The Yankees are still attempting to reduce
their payroll below $189 million for next
season. But they also need offense to
contend in 2013. They may soon lose their
highest-paid player. The suspension of Ryan
Braun for his role in the Biogenesis scandal
rocked baseball on Monday. Now the game
waits for Rodriguez’s punishment.
Braun accepted his penalty without
appealing. A publicist for Rodriguez did not
respond to messages seeking comment on
whether Rodriguez would negotiate a
similar deal with Major League Baseball.
Rodriguez has repeatedly denied any
involvement with the clinic or its founder,
Tony Bosch. But Braun’s acquiescence
appears to harm one of the tenets of
Rodriguez’s public defense, that Bosch’s
records that featured Rodriguez’s name
were counterfeit.
So the Yankees wait for a decision on
Rodriguez – and Rodriguez’s own decision.
But Soriano would be a useful addition,
especially for this team’s woeful right-
handed production, an egregious .589 on-
base plus slugging percetange heading into
Tuesday. Soriano has hit 17 homers this
season, with a .756 OPS before Tuesday.
Soriano told the Chicago Tribune the
Yankees had contacted his agent, but
because a trade had not been agreed upon,
he said he had not considered whether he
would waive his no-trade clause.
For now, the Yankees will carry on without
reinforcements. Girardi delighted in the
production from the bottom of his order
(doubles from Melky Mesa and Austin
Romine; the ninth-inning theatrics of Nunez
and Lillibridge).
“These guys,” Girardi said, “never give up.”