ARLINGTON, Texas — By the time Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and most likely Alfonso Soriano arrive there might be nothing left to the Yankees’ season.
With Soriano on the verge of being acquired from the Cubs, Jeter hoping to return from the disabled list this weekend and Rodriguez barking about being ready to play Friday night, the Yankees lineup was smothered by Matt Garza and two Rangers relievers on the way to a 3-1 loss Wednesday night that was witnessed by 42,360 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
Flushed by the defeat was a solid outing from Andy Pettitte who went six-plus innings, allowed two runs and eight hits. Nevertheless, he lost a second straight game and fell to 7-8.
The Yankees remained seven games back of the AL East-leading Red Sox whose lead over the second-place Rays was shaved to a half game.
In his first start since being acquired Monday from the Cubs, Garza allowed an unearned run and five hits in 7¹/₃ innings.
Pettitte worked into the seventh but didn’t retire the two batters he faced. Geovany Soto opened with a walk and Craig Gentry, the No. 9 hitter, dumped a single into center.
That moved manager Joe Girardi to call for right-hander Shawn Kelley to face the right-handed hitting Ian Kinsler. Kelley fell behind, 3-1, but was able to get Kinsler to pop out for the first out. Elvis Andrus flied to right in front of Nelson Cruz drawing a walk that loaded the bases.
Kelley left three on by getting Adrian Beltre on a fly to center.
But Kelley gave up a solo homer to David Murphy in the eighth that stretched the Rangers’ lead to 3-1.
Leading by two in the ninth with Robinson Cano and Lyle Overbay due up, Rangers manager opted to stay with left-hander Neal Cotts instead of using right-handed closer Joe Nathan, who blew a save Tuesday.
Cotts retired Cano on a grounder to second and caught Overbay looking.
Nathan was throwing in the bullpen when Washington made his decision. Washington called for Nathan to face Vernon Wells. Wells singled, but Nathan notched his 32nd save when Eduardo Nunez popped up to shortstop for the final out.
Tied, 1-1, going into the home sixth, Pettitte retired Nelson Cruz and Adrian Beltre but watched A.J. Pierzynski reach down for a 78 mph, 1-2 pitch and golf it over the right-field wall for a homer that put the Rangers in the lead.
Jeff Baker followed with a double to left-center, but Pettitte stranded him there by getting Mitch Moreland on a stress-free fly to center.
After squandering a solid scoring chance in the first inning against Garza, the Yankees didn’t get another until the sixth when they trailed, 1-0.
Garza delivered the scoring opportunity by throwing away Brett Gardner’s leadoff ground ball. Garza knocked it down and, with plenty of time to get Gardner, threw it way wide of Moreland at first. Gardner hustled to third and scored when Cano singled over the drawn-in infield with one out. The Gardner play was ruled a single and a two-base error.
Garza made sure the Yankees didn’t extend the inning by feeding Overbay a 6-4-3 double play ball.
Consecutive singles by Gardner and Ichiro Suzuki in the first to open the game provided an instant scoring threat. After Garza fanned Cano, Gardner swiped third to put runners at the corners for Overbay.
Garza whiffed him and stranded two by getting Wells on a grounder to third.
Kinsler ripped Pettitte’s first pitch of the game to left for a single and moved to second when Andrus bunted. Cruz’s single to left was hit too hard for Kinsler to score and he stopped at third.
Following Beltre’s fly to short left, Pettitte gave up an RBI single to Pierzynski, a left-handed hitter who was batting .360 (9-for-25) against Pettitte when the game started.
Pettitte discovered a rhythm after the first, blanking the Rangers across the next four frames and facing just two batters with runners in scoring position.
george.king@nypost.com