The Tampa Bay Rays took the getaway game from the Yankees by a score of 5-1. They finished their road trip at .500 over the 10 games, after starting the trip with a 1-4 record. The winning pitcher was Erik Bedard, who gave the team an excellent 6 IP/6 H/1 ER/1 BB/3 K/85 pitch (58 strikes) outing. The Rays have a well deserved off-day Monday, before resuming the schedule Tuesday against the Orioles at the Trop.
I live blogged the game over at our Tumblr page, where you can read a fairly thorough account of the contest by clicking the screen-shot (below). A few highlights follow after the jump.
Game Highlights
- Wil Myers put the Rays ahead in the top of the third on an inside the park home run. Myers now has a 13-game hitting streak at New Yankee Stadium, with five career home runs. This was the 11th inside the park homer in franchise history, with the last one coming on September 21, 2011, when Ben Zobrist hit one off Brett Cecil and the Blue Jays.
- Desmond Jennings got Joel Peralta out of the eighth inning with a web gem of a catch on a deep fly-ball off the bat of Alfonso Soriano. In true wide receiver form, Jennings made the over-the-shoulder catch at the CF wall. What is it that DeWayne says after a play like that? Stamp it with a gold star?
- After Heath Bell was, ahem…gracefully relieved of his position, I’d imagine a handful of players may be questioning whether their heads may be next on the chopping (I’m looking at you, Lueke). Though there really wasn’t any indication that Erik Bedard felt this way, I’d imagine he may feel some relief after stringing together two solid outings. I’m sure the culmination of his now former 15-start winless streak may help in quelling his mind too. Make no bones about it, Bedard was good Sunday. The Rays lefty led with a well located fastball, then followed with a slow curve and a handful of sliders. Bedard pitched to contact, coaxing his fair share of weak poppers (12 to be exact) off the bats of the Yankees. In fact, the Yankees struggled to make solid contact throughout the course of the game. The sixth was one of my favorite innings pitched by Bedard. He needed only six pitches to sit the Evil Empire down in order. He was also effective in shutting the down the Yankees three scoring threats in the second, fourth, and fifth innings. Bedard calmly worked through the threats, relinquishing only one lonely run. Perhaps he’s coming around to the idea the he can induce weak contact, and depend on the solid (and capable) defenders behind him.
Noteworthiness
- The Rays optioned Nate Karns back to Durham, with a reliever to be added Tuesday.
- As badly as the road trip started in Chicago, it was pretty impressive for the Rays to finish it the way they did. A fact that some of you may find surprising; at 15-17, Tampa Bay is one game better than they were at this point last season.
- Devon Schiff of Vice wrote about MLB players’ walk up songs. He failed to mention that Grant Balfour takes the mound to Metallica, while Alex Cobb likes to walk up to the XX — but we won’t hold that against him.