After a successful homecoming, CC Sabathia (1-2, 6.63 ERA) and The Bombers head down to Florida to take on David Price (2-0, 2.91 ERA) and the Rays. Sabathia has been running into a habit of struggling in one bad inning this season. The Yankees were thrilled by his first five innings against the Red Sox on April 11, but he then allowed two homers in a four run frame.
Sabathia was satisfied with his first five innings. He held them to one hit with six strikeouts, but as in his first two starts of the season, it was one bad inning that came back to haunt him. He lost his cool after a David Ortiz infield hit and wound up hanging a slider to Grady Sizemore, who launched it deep to right field for a go ahead three run homer. “I just haven’t been able to put a whole game together,” Sabathia said. “I’m pitching well at times, but I need to be able to stay even keeled and make pitches in big situations like that. I was just frustrated and kind of rushed through and left a pitch hanging.”
In 8 1/3 innings of work, Price held the Reds to one run on four hits and just one walk while striking out 10 to move to 2-0. He might have pitched a complete game had it not been for a Joey Votto homer in the ninth.
CC and Price are well acquainted. The lefty Cy Young winners will meet for the 10th time in their careers on Thursday. The Rays have won eight of those nine previous showdowns, with Price going 6-1 with a 2.68 ERA in those matchups.
Notes on the game
The Rays are 18-11 in the last 29 games against the Yankees, 26-15 against them dating back to September 22, 2011.
The Yanks have not won a season series against the Rays since 2009.
Sabathia has won just four of his 23 starts against Tampa Bay.
Rays pitchers shut out the Yankees four times in 2013, making them only the third team in the last 30 years to do so (1997 Blue Jays and 1990 A’s).
First pitch at 7:10 PM on Yes
