Freddy Garcia wins in Yankees debut | Baseball notebook

NEW YORK — Freddy Garcia's first scheduled start this season was wiped out by rain. The weather wasn't much better when he finally got another chance to take the mound.

The former Mariner allowed two hits over six innings in his Yankees debut, Mark Teixeira drove in three runs, and New York held off the Texas Rangers 5-2 on a bone-chilling Saturday in the Bronx.

Garcia (1-0) worked through steady rain showers and winds gusting to 30 mph to shut down the Texas offense. The only hits the veteran right-hander allowed were to Adrian Beltre in the first and David Murphy in the fourth.

Garcia was supposed to start last week against Minnesota. When rain postponed the game, he was pushed back more than a week, relegated once again to playing long toss and throwing bullpen sessions.

It sure must have kept him sharp. He needed to throw only 84 pitches against Texas.

"I'm really happy, thankful for starting," said Garcia, who did toss an inning of relief against Boston on April 10. "I've been waiting a couple of weeks and it came out good."

The Rangers never threatened against Garcia, going down in order in the first, third, fourth and sixth innings on an array of splitters, changeups and looping curveballs.

"Freddy used to be all power," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "He was smart in the way that he pitched."

Notes

• Milwaukee's game at Washington and Florida's game at Philadelphia were rained out. The Brewers and Nationals will play a doubleheader on Sunday; the NL East rivals will make up their game as part of a split doubleheader June 15.

• San Francisco LHP Barry Zito left his start against Arizona in the second inning because of a right mid-foot sprain. He was hurt while making a lunging catch of a bunt by Diamondbacks pitcher Joe Saunders. X-rays were negative.

• Minnesota star Joe Mauer is continuing to recover from a viral infection and could take part in a light workout Sunday. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday because of leg weakness stemming from offseason arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

• Cleveland OF Grady Sizemore could be activated from the DL in the next two days. Sizemore, a product of Everett's Cascade High, has not played in the majors since last May, when he injured his left knee and had microfracture surgery.

• Atlanta placed RHP Peter Moylan on the 15-day DL with a lower back strain, clearing a roster spot for RHP Jair Jurrjens.

• An 18-year-old Washington Nationals prospect has died in the Dominican Republic from bacterial meningitis. The team said in a statement Friday that shortstop Yewri Guillen died Thursday.