Don’t worry folks, the sky isn’t falling. Mostly because for a ball to hit the sky it would need to clear one of the low hanging speakers at Tropicana Field. For the first time all season, the New York Yankees were swept and lost a game via a walk-off and all to the lowly Tampa Bay Rays. Chalk it up to the drab setting or the constant “bullpening” but such things will happen throughout a 162-game marathon schedule because that’s baseball.
GAME 1
Call it a trap game, call it a letdown but there wasn’t much to write home about in the Yankees 2-1 loss to the Rays. One could hardly blame the Yankees if that was the case, coming off a sweep of the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium, to facing the Rays at the dank setting of Tropicana Field.
LACKING THE BIG HIT
The New York offense mustered five hits and six walks against six Tampa pitchers. Aaron Judge, who was squeezed at the plate for most of the game, accounted for the Yankees offense, with an RBI-single to right in the seventh.
If Gleyber Torres had gone with a pitch from Sergio Romo in the ninth, rather than going for the downs, perhaps the game would’ve gone into extras. In any event, the ball seemed to die in the dome all night.
BEND BUT DON’T BREAK
CC Sabathia labored and had a tough time finding an out pitch in his 5.1 frames of work. Yet, the veteran southpaw pitched well enough to win and of his nine hits allowed, only one was for extra bases.
That lone extra-base hit was a double by Daniel Robertson in the fourth. Robertson would come around to score on a Willy Adames single to right.
Tampa’s second run was aided by shoddy defense in the fifth, namely, a shovel pass by Sabathia and questionable footwork by Greg Bird at first, which allowed Matt Duffy to reach.
Duffy would later score on a sac fly to right by C.J. Cron, on what was an outstanding catch by Giancarlo Stanton up against the wall and it proved to be the difference maker.
GAME 2
The second game wasn’t any better, as the Yankees were blanked for the second time on the season, falling to the Rays 4-0.
WAITIN’ ON A SONNY GRAY
Sonny Gray wasn’t terrible, wasn’t terrific. In Gray’s defense, one can only do so much if your offense scores zero runs. After stumbling early, Gray retired 15 consecutive batters at one point and more than stabilized enough to give his offense an opportunity to make its mark.
During the early going, Jake Bauers doubled home a run, providing the throwback Devil Rays a 1-0 advantage in the first. An RBI-double by Robertson and an RBI-single from Adames increased the Tampa lead to 3-0 in the second.
On that roll into the seventh, Gray yielded a solo shot to right to Adames on a 0-2 curveball.
Gray’s final ledger included seven K’s, six hits, four runs and one walk in 6.2 frames of work.
LACKLUSTER LINEUP
Look, I don’t pretend to know how these guys feel on a daily basis but I’m baffled as to why a 21-year-old Torres is benched so Neil Walker can play. I guess the organization would rather have Brandon Drury, Ronald Torreyes and Tyler Austin playing regularly at Triple-A but you can’t convince me they’re not all better options at this point. Also, after a nice series against Seattle, where was Clint Frazier?
Facing another bullpen day from the Devil Rays, the Yankees could only muster four hits, two of which belonged to Didi Gregorius and two walks. Once again, Austin Romine appears to be the beneficiary of this whole personal catcher deal, collecting a double on a 1-for-3 afternoon.
GAME 3
The third game was a debacle of a game in a debacle of a series in a debacle of a ballpark. With the 7-6 loss in 12 innings, the Yankees suffered their first sweep of the season and first walk-off defeat of the campaign.
DOMINGO DINGED
Domingo German, who typically struggles in the first frame, fared no better in this one and failed to rebound as the contest progressed. A leadoff triple by Kevin Kiermaier was followed by an RBI-double by Matt Duffy. Duffy was driven home by a Carlos Gomez double, doubling the Rays lead to 2-0.
Even after the Yankees offense woke up and gave German a lead to work with in the second, the rookie righty gave it right back.
Adeiny Hechavarria swatted a full count changeup to left-center, squaring the game a three in the home half of the second.
Tampa added three more in the third, on an RBI-single by Gomez and a Jesus Sucre two-run double to left, providing the Rays with a 6-3 advantage.
German wouldn’t make it to the fourth, yielding six runs on nine hits.
GETTIN’ MIGGY WIT IT
Miguel Andujar, who hit the Yanks last home run on Thursday, clocked a three-run shot to left off a 0-1 offering from Matt Andriese in the second, giving New York a 3-2 advantage. The home run gave the Yankees offense a pulse for the time being.
BOMBERS BATTLE BACK
During the fifth, the Yankees started their climb back. Didi Gregorius doubled to center off Diego Castillo, plating Brett Gardner.
Ensuing batter Giancarlo Stanton drove home Gregorius with a sharp double to center, cutting the Rays lead to 6-5.
STANTON SCORCHES
Reaching base in all six plate appearances, Stanton went 5-for-5 with a walk.
In the eighth, Stanton crushed a 1-2 changeup from Vidal Nuno into the left-field stands, squaring the contest at six. The laser was Stanton’s 19th on the year.
ALL AMPED UP FOR NAUGHT
Entering the ninth, Fraizer was sent up to pinch hit for Walker and his woeful .272 OBP. Fraizer sent what looked to be a soaring go-ahead shot to left until the ball hit a speaker and was caught by Hechavarria. In a normal ballpark without low hanging speakers and catwalks and the like, it’s probably a home run.
Tampa Bay's 10th man at the Trop strikes again! Could've been a homer for Clint Frazier, but it ends up a pop out to shortstop. #YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/QyAlz8hob3
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) June 24, 2018
Adding insult to injury, New York likely lost Gary Sanchez for the foreseeable future, pulling his groin while trying to beat out a double-play ball in the tenth.
NO TRICKS UP HIS SHREVE
Between Adam Warren, Jonathan Holder, David Robertson, Dellin Betances and Chad Green, the Yankees bullpen pulled together seven hitless and scoreless innings. Yet, when manager Aaron Boone called on Chasen Shreve in the 12th it only took one pitch for Jake Bauers to send a home run to straightaway center and send the Rays home with a 7-6 victory.
Rake. Bauers.#RaysWin pic.twitter.com/UEBfmmLYlx
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) June 24, 2018
ON DECK
At 50-25, the Yankees travel to Philadelphia and take on the Philadelphia Phillies in a three-game series starting Monday evening.
Pitching probables, Jonathan Loaisiga vs. Vince Velasquez, Luis Severino vs. Jake Arrieta, Luis Cessa vs. TBD.
