expressed confidence in the direction of his team and

NEW YORK -- The Yankees four-game set against the AL-leading Rangers started Monday with what Chase Headley called maybe the toughest loss of his career.On Wednesday, Texas was two outs from winning the first three games. And yet the series ended Thursday with New York somehow earning a split when Headley scampered home on a passed ball for his teams second straight victory in the bottom of the ninth.Headley just beat the throw with two outs for a 2-1 win. Four Yankees pitchers combined to strike out 16 Rangers -- 12 by starter Michael Pineda.Didi Gregorius, who had the winning home run hours earlier when the Yankees rallied from a four-run ninth-inning deficit Wednesday night, hit a solo shot in the fifth to tie the score. Shin-Soo Choo had homered to lead off the game.Reliever Tony Barnette (5-3) walked Headley to lead off the bottom of the ninth. With runners on second and third and two outs, Robinson Chirinos dropped a fastball from Barnette.Headley had been concerned that Chirinos might try to throw behind him, and when he saw the pitch wasnt low, he started to take a half-step back before he saw the ball squirt away.Once it got by, though, theres no going back, he said. You just hope that you make it.Chirinos said he knew which pitch was coming and its location.Its my fault, he said.Barnette blamed himself for the leadoff walk.Its unacceptable, he said. You walk a guy to start an inning, most of the time hes going to score.Aroldis Chapman (2-0) worked around Adrian Beltres leadoff single in the top of the ninth to earn the win.In what manager Joe Girardi called his best outing of the season, Pineda was sharp after a shaky first inning, when Choo crushed the fourth pitch of the game for his 18th career leadoff homer.Pineda struck out Rougned Odor with two runners on to prevent further damage, and he didnt allow a hit the rest of the way -- reaching what is a magical six-inning mark for Yankees starters because of their trio of hard-throwing relievers.Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Chapman each pitched a scoreless inning.After a rough start to the season, Pineda had a 2.75 ERA in June, though he has just one win to show for it because of a lack of run support.Like Pineda, Rangers starter A.J. Griffin cruised after laboring through the first. Both pitchers struck out the side in the second, and overall nine straight batters struck out from the bottom of the first through the top of the third.Griffin retired 12 in a row before Gregorius tying homer. Griffin departed after throwing 88 pitches in five innings. He allowed the one run and two hits with two walks and eight strikeouts.After Headleys walk in the ninth, Gregorius came up again with a chance to win it -- but this time he sacrificed, bunting Headley to second with one out. Aaron Hicks then walked.Starlin Castro, who hit a walk-off home run of his own eight days earlier, grounded out to first to put the runners on second and third with two outs.MOMENTUM SWINGOn Monday, the Yankees blew a ninth-inning lead after a 3 1/2-hour rain delay, and the game didnt end until 2:44 a.m. But now they start a 10-game road trip back at .500.Hopefully this is what really got us going, Girardi said.TRAINERS ROOMYankees: Carlos Beltran, who didnt start for the second straight game because of right hamstring tightness, can bat, but he cant run. He pinch-hit for No. 9 hitter Ronald Torreyes in the seventh, and after he walked, Castro, who didnt start with a day game after a night game, pinch-ran for him. Girardi is concerned about Beltrans ability to play the field during this weekends interleague series at San Diego and doesnt expect him to start Friday. ... C Brian McCann played a day game after a night game even though tendinitis in his knee flared up Wednesday.UP NEXTRangers: Texas continues its 10-game road trip with a three-game series at Minnesota, with LHP Martin Perez (7-4) seeking his seventh straight victory when he faces RHP Ervin Santana (2-7) on Friday.Yankees: New York opens a 10-game road trip with an interleague series at San Diego, when RHP Nathan Eovaldi (6-5) looks for his first win in more than a month in a matchup against RHP Colin Rea (4-3). A. J. Pollock Dodgers Jersey . James, who turned 29 on Monday, injured his groin Friday during the Heats overtime loss at Sacramento. He sat out the following game, a 108-107 win Saturday in Portland, before coming back to help send the Nuggets to their seventh consecutive loss. Russell Martin Jersey . The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup. http://www.dodgerssale.com/dodgers-hyun-jin-ryu-jersey/ . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. Cody Bellinger Jersey . - After leading the Saints to a fourth playoff appearance in five seasons, Drew Brees expressed confidence in the direction of his team and, perhaps more importantly, showed a willingness to listen to contract proposals if the team needs his help getting under the NFLs salary cap. Kirk Gibson Dodgers Jersey . Westbrook has missed 27 games since having a procedure on Dec. 27 to deal with swelling in his injured right knee — the third operation on the knee in nine months.KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City Royals recalled left-hander Will Smith and optioned struggling right-hander Kelvin Herrera to Triple-A Omaha in a series of moves before Tuesday nights game against Atlanta. Left-hander Danny Duffy, who has been recovering from Tommy John surgery, was reinstated from the 60-day disabled list and optioned to Omaha. Left-hander Francisley Bueno was designated for assignment to cleaar roster space.dddddddddddd Smith allowed four earned runs in four innings in his only appearance with the Royals earlier this season, but he was 5-3 with a 2.88 ERA at Omaha. Herrera, whos just 3-5 with a 5.20 ERA, is headed to Omaha for the second time this season. The Royals also announced that outfielder Quintin Berry, who was designated for assignment Sunday, had accepted an outright assignment to Omaha. ' ' '