YANKS FALLING FLAT
Bumbling Bombers show no life in sloppy loss to rival Rays
The Yankees just can’t seem to figure it out. In their second series with the Rays this season, this time at the Stadium, the Yankees got nothing right. Shoddy pitching and poor defense allowed the rival Rays to run away with an 8-2 win over the Bombers on Friday night at
Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees and Rays entered Friday still on edge after the teams exchanged hit-by-pitches in their first series of the season down in Tampa. If the Yankees hoped to establish their dominance in the rivalry, they certainly did not start on the right foot.
“It’s got to be better. You know, we’re certainly capable, and expect better,” Aaron Boone, obviously frustrated, said after the game. “We just got to keep diving in and working.”
Nick Nelson started for the Yankees and was tagged for two runs on two hits in the first inning. Michael King replaced Nelson and pitched a solid three innings, but Rougned Odor’s throwing error hurt him. King was optioned after the game.
Luis Cessa came in for the fifth and allowed four runs (one earned) courtesy of one defensive blunder after another — the first, a fielding error by Gio Urshela and then another throwing error by Odor.
The Yankees continued to unravel further in the sixth when Aaron Judge tried to chase down a pop up heading for Odor and instead deflected the ball, loading the bases with no outs. Two outs later, Mike Zunino doubled to drive in two.
Giancarlo Stanton was able to keep the Yankees from getting shut out by hitting a two-run homer in the seventh inning.
“I mean we’re definitely under-performing on definitely the offensive side,” Stanton said. “You know some of the guys will tell you they haven’t played the way they’d like to as well, so we got to pick it up. We can’t keep rolling the same look out there.”
The Rays went with an actual starting pitcher, Michael Wacha, who dominated over six innings, giving up one hit and two walks and striking out nine batters before being replaced by Trevor Richards, who closed out the game for the Rays.
“I thought he did throw the ball well,” Boone said of Wacha. “But, you know we obviously expect more of ourselves as well.”
The Yankees barely got anything going all night, with only two men left on base over nine innings. Boone spoke to the players in the clubhouse after the game. None of the players revealed what he said, but Clint Frazier explained that when Boone, who is usually cool in manner, gets upset, they know it means they have to progress.
“Boone’s our guy, you know, so he’s the one that when things are going good, he’s going to be there for us and when things are going bad he’s going to try to get us back to where he knows as a coach, where we should be,” Frazier said.
After Friday, they were 1-3 against the Rays on the season. They play again Saturday at the Stadium with another chance to prove they can do better.