After a rain delay of nearly three hours, the Yankees slumped through their series-opening game against the Texas Rangers as they fell 7-0 at Yankee Stadium. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Sunday's game

1) Rangers LHP Mike Minor (12-8, 3.13 ERA) dominated the Yankees, scattering five hits over 7.1 shutout innings and recording five strikeouts to one walk. While the Rangers led 6-0 vs. the Yankees in the bottom of the eighth inning, he allowed a leadoff single to CF Mike Tauchman on a line drive to center field before LF Clint Frazier grounded into a fielder's choice. His second single of the frame surrendered against 2B Tyler Wade triggered manager Chris Woodward to make a move and the bullpen did the rest as RHPs Shawn Kelley (0.2) and Emmanuel Clase (1.0) shut the door over the final 1.2 innings, stranding two baserunners in the eighth. Minor fired 111 pitches. Combined, the Rangers held the Yankees to their first shutout since June 30, 2018, when they dropped an 11-0 defeat against the Boston Red Sox.

2) The lineup struggled for the Yankees, who worked Minor and the bullpen but ultimately left 12 runners on base. Among the hitless Yankees were 3B DJ LeMahieu, RF Aaron Judge, SS Gleyber Torres and Frazier. Lately reliant on home runs, the Yankees' managed only six hits in each of their past two games -- both walkoff wins Saturday and Sunday against the Oakland Athletics -- but they did so behind six long balls (all solo shots) spread out over the 12 total knocks. LeMahieu and Judge posted 0-for-4 performances at the top of the order while Ford -- Sunday's hero vs. the A's -- sported the same line from the five spot Monday before he mustered his two-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning, ending with a 1-for-5 day.

3) RHP Masahiro Tanaka (10-8, 4.42) did not have his best stuff, but he held the Rangers enough through 6.0 innings and gave the Yankees a chance to win. Tanaka scattered seven hits -- the damage done on a first-inning sacrifice fly by RF Nomar Mazara and a fifth-inning solo shot from C Jose Trevino -- with five strikeouts to one walk.

4) Manager Aaron Boone handed the ball over to LHPs Nestor Cortes and Tyler Lyons, and the Rangers jumped all over the bullpen arms. Cortes came to Tanaka's relief in the top of the seventh inning and kept the Rangers scoreless, but the following frame went south quickly. After an RBI single by 1B Ronald Guzman, Cortes allowed a three-run homer to CF Delino DeShields with two outs. The same result happened to Lyons in the next frame, surrendering a solo shot against DH Shin-Soo Choo with two outs as the Rangers polished off the 7-0 final score.

5) Back in the Yankees' outfield for the first since time since his June demotion to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, Frazier had an up-and-down performance as he started in left field. Frazier flashed in the top of the fifth inning, cleanly fielding 3B Danny Santana's two-hop single to left field and firing home for the final out at the plate and getting SS Elvis Andrus. But later on, Frazier mistimed a fly ball to shallow left field and allowed a would-be out to drop in front of him. Overall, defense by Frazier -- recalled for Sunday's game against the A's, batting out of the eighth spot as the DH -- remains a work in progress with some good and bad flashes mixed together.

Highlights

Yes way, Jose. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/NKiLq8pq8Y
- Texas Rangers (@Rangers) September 2, 2019

Delino De💣s. pic.twitter.com/0cVcxPNffR
- Texas Rangers (@Rangers) September 2, 2019

Clint Frazier has a HOSE 🔥

(via @YESNetwork) pic.twitter.com/MWOzpYCUVP
- Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 2, 2019

What's next

The Yankees and Rangers return to action Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. when LHP James Paxton (11-6, 4.39 ERA) faces RHP Ariel Jurado (7-10, 5.19 ERA).

Five takeaways from Sunday's game

Highlights

What's next

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