New York Yankees 0 – Tampa Bay Rays 5
The struggles of the offense for the 2014 season continues tonight.
Brandon McCarthy was greeted with a pair of hits, starting with Desmond Jennings single to right field. Ben Zobrist would add a single of his own to put runners on the corners. A walk would put McCarthy in hot water right away, loading the bases with no outs. A pair of ground outs to Chase Headley and Stephen Drew would plate the first two runs for the Rays and put the Yankees in an early hole.
McCarthy would settle down after the first inning but the Yankees offense would not get started.
The Rays had Alex Cobb on the mound and he would keep the Yankees from putting hits together and starting a rally. In five of the first seven innings, the Yankees managed to get a single but that would be the only baserunner of each of those innings.
It’s hard to start a rally on one hit in an inning.
Brandon McCarthy would strike out five over the next four scoreless innings. He would generate many ground outs and kept the Yankees within striking distance of the game. In the seventh inning, an error by Chase Headley would let Logan Forsythe to reach base. After a rare bunt with two strikes moved Forsythe to second, Catcher Curt Casali would hit a single that scored the unearned run that gave the Rays a three-run lead. A pair of bloop singles would fall into the shallow outfield to load the bases and it would be an appropriate exit for the Yankees starter, a pitcher riddled with bad luck. A fourth run would score on a ground out to end the pitching line for McCarthy.
In 6.1 innings, Brandon McCarthy allowed four runs, two earned, on seven hits while walking one and striking out seven.
In the eighth inning, Alex Cobb’s last inning of work, he would give up a one-out single and a walk to knock Cobb out of the game. This was the first inning of the night that the Yankees had more than one runner on base. Reliever Brad Boxberger would give up a typical Derek Jeter single to right field to load the bases with one out. Jacoby Ellsbury would strike out swinging and Mark Teixeira would look at called strike three to finish the inning and keep the Yankees off the scoreboard.
Win – Alex Cobb (8-6)
Loss – Brandon McCarthy (7-12)
Notables
Yankees
*Derek Jeter – 2 for 4
*Jacoby Ellsbury – 2 for 4
Rays
*Ben Zobrist – 1 for 4, R, RBI (37)
*James Loney – 2 for 4, R, Solo Home Run (6) in the 8th, 2 RBI (56)
Current Yankees Record: 61-59
