Tampa Bay dropped the last game of their their three game set against the New York Yankees Sunday, by a score of 3-2 in extra innings. All is not lost though — the Rays walked away with the series victory. That, my friends, is what really matters. And with that series win, Tampa Bay was able to drive a bigger wedge between the Yankees and the top of the AL East. As the saying goes, they may have won the battle, but they certainly didn’t win the war. I live blogged the game at our Tumblr site — you can read a blow-by-blow account of the game there. Below are a few highlights from the game.
- At 1-5 wRISP while stranding five men on the bags, the Rays had more than a few opportunities to tag Ivan Nova for more than two runs. Nova allowed his fair share of base runners on six hits and six walks. However, the Yankees RHP was able to make the big pitch when he needed. I’d imagine three double plays while Nova was on the mound (four overall) didn’t help the cause.
- Let’s just say that David DeJesus and Evan Longoria were the Rays offense Sunday, combining for five hits in nine at-bats, as well as pair of runs, and a pair of runs batted in.
- Evan Longoria continues to heat up, and none too soon — especially when you consider that Wil Myers is just 10 for his last 54 (.170 BA/.235 OBP/.298 SLG/.533 OPS) since August 10th, with 1 HR, 9 RBI. Longo is hitting .291 in August, with seven homers, 12 runs, and 13 runs batted in.
- Surprise surprise, Alex Torres came into the game in a high leverage situation — with a pair of runners in scoring position and two outs. Another shocker, Torres threw five pitches and got out of the sixth unscathed.
- Jake McGee was exceptional, putting together a 1-2-3, 16-pitch, seventh inning, ringing up the tandem of Mark Reynolds/Chris Stewart/Brett Gardner. He also threw two sliders — a rarity for the overpowering McGee.
The New What Next
The Rays will make up the May snow-out in Kansas City Monday. A pair of Jeremy’s will oppose one another when Hellickson takes the mound against Guthrie. Key match-ups in the one-off series: Desmond Jennings (2-7), Matt Joyce (11-30, 2 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB), Evan Longoria (12-39, 5 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 3 BB), Sean Rodriguez (2-7, HR, 2 RBI), Ben Zobrist (12-32, 3 2B, 3B, 4 RBI, BB). Note: This is a 2:10 game, and will not be televised.
Rays 8/26/13 Starting Lineup
DeJesus CF
Zobrist 2B
Longoria DH
Joyce LF
Myers RF
Loney 1B
Johnson 3B
Lobaton C
Escobar SS
Hellickson RHP
Noteworthiness
- Cough, it bears mentioning: The Rays averaged 30,393 attendees per game over the span of the weekend series.