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[kaka2010]

There is no way of knowing how the remainder of the sixth inning — and Wednesday’s game — would have unfolded if the throw home from Curtis Granderson had taken an unfriendly bounce, or if Francisco Cervelli had not swung out his left leg to block the plate, protecting it like a moat.

And for this, the Yankees are thankful. They did not have to replay any glum what-if possibilities because of eight seconds of precision, of fundamental beauty, that added texture and nuance to what otherwise would seem just another overpowering victory.

Which it still was. The Yankees trounced the Texas Rangers for the second consecutive night, going on to win by the same score, 12-4, behind five home runs, all by a starting infield that did not include Alex Rodriguez. Just as Manager Joe Girardi imagined when he filled out his lineup card, Ramiro Pena and Eduardo Nunez slugged homers, amazing and amusing their teammates all at once. Pena’s second career blast preceded a two-run shot by Mark Teixeira, his second of the night, and came minutes after the Yankees executed the play that changed the course of their evening.

“Big defensive plays can sometimes boost a team more than offense,” Teixeira said. “Offense happens. Guys hit home runs. But that’s a special play.”

It evoked memories of all those sunny February mornings of spring training, of practicing situations that are bound to occur over 162 games. And so with runners on first and second and the Rangers seeking to erase a 6-4 deficit, Elvis Andrus lined a single against Luis Ayala, who had replaced Ivan Nova a batter earlier. Charging the ball, Granderson fielded it in medium-depth center field, grabbing it by his left knee before it bounced a third time. He transferred the ball from glove to hand in a flash and unleashed a powerful throw that struck the grass about a foot or two in front of the dirt cutout that guards the plate.

“I knew that I gave him a shot,” Granderson said.

The ball bounced directly into the glove of Cervelli, who had prepared for the oncoming Yorvit Torrealba by staying low, bending his body backward to avoid a collision, and thrusting out his leg.

“What I’ve learned is that home plate and the circle is your house,” Cervelli said. “They teach me that, and nobody’s going to come to the plate.”

Torrealba slid as if he intended to touch the plate with his left hand, after passing it, but he had no chance and glanced off Cervelli. When the plate umpire Mike Winters saw that he had held onto the ball, Cervelli pumped his fist four times and shouted toward the Yankees’ dugout, where Nova, who had put those two runners on base, sat. He also pumped his fist.

“If we don’t make that play, you see who’s coming up next,” Manager Joe Girardi said.

Left on deck was the dangerous Josh Hamilton. If Torrealba had scored, Girardi indicated he would have summoned Boone Logan to face Hamilton, who in consecutive games last postseason battered him for a double and a home run. When the scoreboard flashed to Granderson before the bottom of the sixth, many among the crowd of 45,969 stood and cheered.

“That, for me,” Nova said, “was the play of the game.”

It rewarded Nova, who overcame a rocky start in which he reverted to old habits, relying on two pitches (fastball and curve) instead of four. Injured when Nova silenced the Rangers on May 6, Hamilton tormented him Wednesday, driving in the first run with a single and scoring in the third after doubling over Granderson’s head.

The Rangers led, 4-2, but the Yankees’ revamped lineup was just warming against the left-hander Derek Holland. Given his .227 average, Nick Swisher might have seemed a peculiar choice to hit leadoff, which he had not done since May 4, 2008. But with Brett Gardner receiving the night off, Swisher’s success against lefties — .356 average, .438 on-base percentage — made him an appealing option, and one that Girardi said he would continue to consider with Derek Jeter on the disabled list with a strained right calf.

The other part of the Jeter equation involves Nunez, who is 4 for 8 in two games at shortstop. Already Nunez has hit more home runs at Yankee Stadium this season than Jeter, his fourth-inning blast tying the score at 4-4.

“I’m so happy because I hit a home run on my birthday,” said Nunez, who turned 24.

The Yankees added two more runs against Holland in the sixth, on two-out hits by Andruw Jones and Cervelli. The Rangers did not score again, as Torrealba can attest. Granderson and Cervelli made sure of that.

INSIDE PITCH

The Yankees recalled the right-handed reliever Cory Wade and sent Kevin Whelan to Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. To make room for Wade, who pitched a scoreless eighth, on the 40-man roster, Rafael Soriano was placed on the 60-day disabled list, which means he cannot be activated until after the All-Star break. ... Derek Jeter will rehabilitate his strained calf at the Yankees’ complex in Tampa, Fla., instead of accompanying them on their six-game trip. ... Phil Hughes’s minor league rehabilitation assignment will continue Sunday for Class A Staten Island. ... Mark Teixeira homered from both sides of the plate in the same game for the11th time in his career, tying him with Eddie Murray and Chili Davis formost in history.


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