Rangers Ready for ‘Straight’ Jacket

During Friday’s off-day workout, Texas relievers Mike Morgan and Tim Crabtree did their best to wake up the dormant Ranger bats.

They passed out some Outback-style adventure hats that had the words “Straight Bangin” embroidered on them, the motto a reference to the Rangers’ regular-season prowess at the plate. The pitchers were reminding their teammates that they can indeed hit, despite their failings in the first two games of the American League division series against the New York Yankees.

But after Saturday’s 3-0 loss to the Yankees in front of 50,269 at The Ballpark in Arlington, the mantra should take on a whole new meaning, as in “Straight Bangin our heads against the wall in frustration.”

Even with the hats as reminders and the temperature at 78 degrees, 31 degrees warmer than it was in New York two nights earlier, the Texas bats remained frozen and the Rangers’ offensive futility against the Yankees in the postseason continued, resulting in the three-game sweep.

The Yankees now await the winner of the Cleveland Indian-Boston Red Sox series, which the Indians lead, 2-1.

“Obviously, when they’ve had trouble beating us,” Yankee Manager Joe Torre said, “you know there’s a certain psychological thing going on there.”

Texas starter Esteban Loaiza seemed to try to psych out the Yankees heading into Game 3. He had intimated the Yankees had trouble hitting fastballs.

Apparently, he was right.

It was, after all, a slider that Yankee designated hitter Darryl Strawberry took for a 415-foot ride over the left-center-field wall in the first inning for a three-run homer.

“When you get three runs and you have Roger Clemens on the mound, you have to feel good,” said Strawberry, who a year ago was about to undergo surgery for colon cancer. “It feels special. It always feels good when you come through in a big situation.”

Torre said he didn’t have a good vibe when his team took the field.

“I sensed that we were very quiet at the beginning of the ballgame,” he said. “Darryl took care of that.”

So did Clemens, who pitched seven innings. He gave up three harmless singles--to Rafael Palmeiro in the second inning, Mark McLemore in the third and Juan Gonzalez in the fourth--while walking two and striking out two.

“When Straw hit that home run to get us going, it was a big lift for us,” said Clemens, a Texas native who improved his postseason pitching record to 2-2 in his 10th such start. “We were able to come out in that first inning with an extremely loud crowd and get some momentum.

“The Rangers’ lineup is dangerous.”

But it was quieted by the Yankee rotation in this series.

Texas led the majors with a .293 team batting average this season while scoring a team-record 945 runs. The Rangers batted only .152 and scored one run in the sweep.

As a result, Texas has lost nine consecutive playoff games dating to Game 2 of the 1996 division series against New York.

The Rangers also have scored only two runs in their last 60 innings of division series play.

The Yankees, meanwhile, have won 10 consecutive postseason games.

It was tough for Loaiza to accept, what with his lone mistake coming in the first inning.

In seven innings, Loaiza gave up five hits while striking out four and walking one.

Derek Jeter had gotten things going in the first by banging a one-out triple off the top of the left-field wall before Bernie Williams drew a walk.

Loaiza struck out Tino Martinez looking but then Strawberry took Loaiza deep.

The Rangers threatened slightly in the fourth when Gonzalez singled up the middle and Todd Zeile walked. But Clemens got out of it when Lee Stevens grounded out.

It looked as if Royce Clayton would jump-start the Rangers with a drive to the deepest part of the park to start the Texas fifth. But Williams ran it down and made the catch, his second eye-popping grab of the series, nanoseconds before he hit the wall in center field.

Reliever Jeff Nelson replaced Clemens to start the eighth.

But after Tom Goodwin singled to lead off the inning, Torre promptly replaced Nelson with closer Mariano Rivera.

McLemore hit a soft liner that a charging Scott Brosius caught at third before doubling up a surprised Goodwin at first.

Rivera then struck out Ivan Rodriguez to end the inning.

Texas had something going in the ninth when Rusty Greer led off with a single and went to second on a Rivera wild pitch.

But Rivera got Gonzalez and Palmeiro to pop out and Zeile to ground out to end the game, which was played in front of the third-largest crowd to ever see a game here.

“Everything just went right for them when they had runners on and things didn’t go right for us when we had runners on,” Loaiza said. “It happened today and it happened in New York.

“The first inning. I just wish I could have it all back.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

ALCS Schedule

New York Yankees vs. Cleveland or Boston in best-of-seven series. All games on

Channel 11.

* GAME 1: Wednesday, at New York,

5:15 p.m.

* GAME 2: Thursday, at New York, 5:15 p.m.

* GAME 3: Saturday, at Cleveland or Boston,

1:15 p.m.

* GAME 4: Oct. 17, at Cleveland or Boston,

4:45 p.m.

* GAME 5: Oct. 18, at Cleveland or Boston,

5:15 p.m.*

* GAME 6: Oct. 20, at New York, 1 p.m. or

5:15 p.m.*

* GAME 7: Oct. 21, at New York, 5:15 p.m.*

Times PDT. * if necessary