Blame their inability to push across crucial runs in the early goings, or critical gaffes committed by the Tampa Bay Rays, which allowed New York to take the lead, the Yankees snapped their three-game skid in a 6-3 victory in the Bronx Friday night.
Source: FanGraphs
Things started well for Tampa Bay, and the Rays were able to take an early lead in the second inning.
After Matt Moore shut down the Yankees on four pitches in the bottom of the first, Steve Pearce worked a one out walk against the swarthy CC Sabathia in the top of the following frame. Steven Souza Jr. came up with a single to left, while Tim Beckham worked the second free pass of the inning, loading the bases for Curt Casali. Yet, per usual, Casali went down swinging when he tried to put an off-speed pitch (that sat well below the zone) into play, leaving things up to the dependable Logan Forsythe to take advantage of the Grimmace-like hurler.
Forsythe did not disappoint. He hit an 89 mph fastball, on the inside corner, down the left-field line for a two-run double. However, with runner in scoring position and two outs, Brandon Guyer left some chicken on the bone, grounding out to second to end the threat.
Meanwhile the Yankees quickly answered against Moore after Mark Teixeira hit a leadoff single to left. Two batters later, Brian McCann homered to the short porch in right-center to tie the score.
Nevertheless Tampa Bay moved in front once more after mounting a fourth inning, two-out rally. Forsythe reached down and golf clubbed a nasty breaking pitch over the head of Aaron Hicks and to the wall in left-center for his second double of the day. Guyer, who has never had much success against Sabathia, looped an RBI single to left-center, snapping a personal 1-22 stretch against the lefty.
Be that as it may, the Yankees rallied once again to even the score in the bottom of the frame. Jacoby Ellsbury, who entered the game for the injured Hicks, started the key rally with a single to left. After Didi Gregorius singled to right, both runners were balked into scoring position. The balk also stole from Moore’s focus, which proved costly just one batter later.
As Moore delivered ball four on a 3-2 pitch to Brett Gardner, Ellsbury broke for the plate, scoring just ahead of Curt Casali’s tag on a straight steal of home ― tying the score at three.
I’m not sure if I actually saw it or felt it, Moore said. I could hear different things — ‘Step off, hurry up.’ It was some time about when my hands were over my head I tried to shorten everything up to get it there. If it was just a foot lower, Curt doesn’t have to reach as high and go back down.
Ellsbury took advantage of two things on the play. First Moore, pitching with his back to third, never checked on Ellsbury. Second, the lefty opted to go with a high leg-kick, as opposed to pitching from the stretch. Casali, sensing that something was amiss, attempted to call time before the pitch was thrown, however, it was not granted. Moore tried to adjust mid-windup, but instead threw a high fastball — making it more difficult for the Rays’ catcher to tag Ellsbury out at the plate on the ensuing play.
It was definitely a risky play on their part and if I would have executed a little bit better then we would have had an out right there, said Moore.
Moore spoke to why he opted for the high leg kick in the first place,
There’s a reason that starting pitchers go into the windup when nobody is on base. You set your rhythm; you’re a little bit more comfortable there. It’s just one of those things where I didn’t think they were going to put their scoring opportunity at risk with, especially, their center fielder. Tip the cap to him for being able to execute and take advantage of it.
It was the first steal of home by a Yankee since Derek Jeter did so in 2001, and the first time in their 2,930-game history the Rays allowed a straight steal of home.
New York took the go-ahead lead the very next inning. Carlos Beltran reached on a well struck base-hit to center, and Mark Teixeira followed with a hard hit single off the left-field wall that was within a foot of being a two-run homer. Thankfully the ball caromed perfectly right to Desmond Jennings, who was able to hold the runners at first and second…not that it mattered. Two batters later, McCann, who has terrorized the Rays (15 RBI in 17 games against the Rays in 2015), singled to left — scoring Beltran for their first lead of the night.
They added two more in the eighth, at which point it was already to late for the Rays. Why, you may be asking? The lead stood because the Yankees bullpen was perfect after Sabathia was lifted after 4-2/3 innings of work, much to his chagrin. Ivan Nova thew 2-1/3 hitless innings, and then handed the ball to the two-headed monster of Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller.
All told, the Rays stranded nine total runners over the front five innings, thanks in part to eight of the nine hits collected against Sabathia coming with two outs.
The New What Next
The Rays No. 1 prospect Blake Snell will make his major league debut Saturday, opposite of Masahiro Tanaka. Snell is 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA in three starts with Triple-A Durham. The lefty has fanned 21 in just 14-1/2 innings while scattering 15 hits and seven walks (a 3/1 K/BB). The lefty put together an incredible season where he led the minor leagues in ERA (1.41) and opponents batting average (.182), posted a ridiculous 31.3% K%, and ranked among the overall leaders with 15 wins (third) and 163 strikeouts (fourth). He becomes just the ninth pitcher in 35 years to claim the honor of Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year. You can read about Tanaka in our series preview.
Rays 4/23/16 Starting Lineup
Forsythe 2B
Morrison 1B
Longoria DH
Dickerson RF
Jennings LF
Miller SS
Pearce 3B
Kiermaier CF
Conger C
Snell LHP
Noteworthiness
— To make room for Snell on the 25-man active roster, Tampa Bay optioned reliever Danny Farquhar to Durham. Farquhar posted a 3.38 ERA in six appearances this season and allowed seven hits while striking out five.
Farquhar is expected to pitch “more meaningful innings” with Durham, while Cash wants him to get in “some consistent work.”