Orlando Hernández entered the second half having established himself as a premier big-game pitcher but experienced a severe midseason slump and an elbow sprain. Since allowing five runs in 6.2 innings to the Red Sox, he permitted 39 earned runs in 44 innings across eight starts while striking out 23 and walking 17. David Cone's inconsistency and Denny Neagle's decline increased pressure on Hernández to stabilize the Yankees' rotation. On August 21 Hernández delivered seven innings, three runs on six hits, five strikeouts and one walk. Only three scoring instances occurred, and in six of seven innings he faced four or fewer hitters, producing an efficient, confidence-restoring outing.
Even before suffering an elbow sprain while surrendering nine first-inning runs against the White Sox on June 18th, however, El Duque did not look like his typical self. In fact, since allowing five runs in 6.2 innings to the Red Sox five days prior to the original injury, he had allowed 39 earned runs in 44 innings across eight starts, striking out just 23 and walking 17.
The Rangers scored their first run off a Rafael Palmiero solo shot to lead off the second inning. Their second run came on a Rusty Greer solo home run with two outs in the sixth. Mike Lamb tripled in Ricky Led e9e, who had reached on a single, with one out in the seventh for the third run of the ballgame.
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