Heading into their game against the Angels on June 10th, the Rays sat two games under .500 having just dropped two of three to the Yanks and the first game of their series against the Halos, finding themselves six back of division-leading Boston. They beat Anaheim that night to kick off a six-game win streak and have compiled a 26-15 mark since, which includes last night’s defeat of CC and the Yanks on the back of Scott Kazmir to help them keep close pace at only 6.5 out of first-place held by the rather torrid Yankees.
Tonight, Matt Garza gets the rock while Joba Chamberlain goes for the series win for the Bombers. Joba has been dealing in his last two starts, allowing just two earned runs over just shy of 14 innings. Garza’s Rays have lost both of his starts this year against New York, but he is coming off a stellar outing against the Jays.
Lineups follow, comment away.
| NY Yankees | |
| D. Jeter ss | .322 |
| J. Damon lf | .276 |
| M. Teixeira 1b | .282 |
| A. Rodriguez 3b | .252 |
| H. Matsui dh | .256 |
| J. Posada c | .284 |
| R. Cano 2b | .309 |
| N. Swisher rf | .238 |
| M. Cabrera cf | .287 |
| J. Chamberlain | 3.86 |
| Tampa Bay | |
| B.J. Upton cf | .247 |
| C. Crawford lf | .311 |
| E. Longoria 3b | .276 |
| B. Zobrist 2b | .305 |
| C. Pena 1b | .214 |
| P. Burrell dh | .223 |
| G. Gross rf | .269 |
| D. Navarro c | .224 |
| J. Bartlett ss | .332 |
| M. Garza | 3.68 |
80 replies on “Respect the SatanFish: Yanks-Rays Gamer”
Does it seem like the Yankees get the runner in from third much less often than other teams?
I meant on sacrifice hits, of course.
Teix threaded a needle right there to score Jeter. 1-0 Yanks, top 1.
Garza loves that low0in corner against ARod.
Solid first inning from Joba.
Upton grounds out 6-3. Didn’t look like he was running full-on, which would bug me if I were a Rays fan.
Crawford grounds sharply to ARod for the 5-3.
Longoria grounds to Cano, who pauses, blows some bubble gum, then throws to Teix to close the first.
Yanks didn’t do anything in the second inning. But A’s are already up 5-0 off Penny. So let’s win this one to space everybody just a little bit..
Bottom two: Joba starts Zobrist off with two strikes on the outside edge, both great pitches. Then a pitch away to get him to chase. He was supposed to go again to the corner but it was back over the middle; Zobrist is a laser right at Teix for the first out.
Quick fly to Damon for two. Now inside to Burrell, then away, then in. All low. The 3-0 is set up away but comes across the inside low corner for strike 1, burrell taking. He takes another to make it full.
Gas middle outside on the payoff, Burrell swings late and under to retire the side. Heading to three.
Swisher takes the outside corner for a strike. Then squibs a roller past a diving Zobrist up the middle for a single.
Melky shows bunt. meh. It’s high away. The 1-0 cuts away to Papa George eating some Carvel or whatever in the owner’s box. Melky pops high to left field. Top of the order. Jeter has a triple and has scored. He lays down a PERFECT bunt in no-man’s land up third to push Swisher to second and take first with no throw.
Damon takes a ball with one away, runners on first and second. He lines the next pitch to right field. Swisher tags and moves to third as Jeter holds at first. Two down to Teix.
Teixeira pops out to shallow right, on the first base line, to end the Yankee third.
Gabe Gross takes a ball to lead off the Rays’ third. Now a pitch at (below?) the knees for strike one. George pictured with his ice cream again. Fouled off for two strikes, then away; it’s two-two. Gross fouls off another pitch. Now a breaking pitch misses way low to make it full, no outs, top one. Gross takes right down the middle. Strike three. Looks back to bitch about it, but it was a total strike. One away.
Navarro takes a strike, then swings over a breaking pitch low-in to make it 0-2. A pitch away and high, followed by another. A strike at the knees is fouled straight back.
Boston storming back, 5-3 A’s, still, but that lead is tight.
We have a pitching duel so far here..
The two-two is on the high away corner, fouled back. Joba is working quickly. Misses a half-foot outside to make it full. Navarro pulls the next pitch foul.
Joba looking good so far, though the Rays hitters are making him work, going deep into counts by fouling off some pitches, to no big fault of Joba.
Teixeira went up and got that one, two away.
Teixeira makes air time with a leaping grab that will get some air time on the highlight real. Sweet catch.
Definitely a web gem.
End of 3, 1-0 Yanks.
real/reel?
Anyway, flare single by Bartlett to right over Cano. Upton to the plate. Posada with a BACK DOOR tag to take away the stolen base. Kinda wanna see that again for validity, but sweet for the good guys.
Cano with the back door tag rather… Posada’s throw was off line towards first but the ump thought it was good. I need to see it again.
Garza comes in at the chest to make it 1-0 to Alex. ARod quails the next pitch to shallow right. Good piece of hitting there.
Godzilla goes the other way and ropes a double the LF corner on a pitch at least 6″ high away. Wow. You aren’t supposed to be able to hit that pitch. Runners at 2nd and 3rd, nobody out, Jorge up.
Matsui with a double, and now the Yanks have a real chance to add on to their lead right here.
Posada wasted an out, and here’s Cano, merely trying to get a ball on the ground..
Posada pops out on the first pitch he sees … grumble … to shallow foul territory off third base. One down to Cano.
And Cano does what he’s told, picking up an RBI on that groundball. Matsui moves to third.
Robi hits a two-hop chop up the middle to score ARod, pushing Matsui to third on the 5-3. Two away to Swisher.
Got to run outside in the rain. Wish me luck. I’m on a high floor, and I see nothing but fog in the darkness..
Garza misses way inside, and almost in the dirt. Good block by Navarro. Now a change on the outside corner to make it 1-1. Garza misses misses high, now in the dirt. The 3-1 is on the inside corner, taken.
The payoff: Swisher swings (way ahead) of a changeup. Inning over.
Good luck Lar, don’t get tagged by the blind traffic.
Checking out for a minute myself.
Joba has a 123 inning. Now a picture of a blimp floating through the grand canyon on the commercial break makes me wish I were there; looks cooler than here.
It’s soooo good to watch Joba finally delivering consistently as a starter. 66% strikes with 49 pitches through 4.
Next up: Hughes.
Melky takes letters. The 0-1 is a breaking pitch outside. Now Melky’s out on a play that I missed, but I think it was a weak hit towards third? Maybe a bunt? blech.
I guess I missed Joba throwing upstairs at Longoria.. sorry I missed that, I would have liked to have seen it. :)
Jeter gets jammed on a 2-1 and grounds out 6-3 for two away to Damon.
Garza has lost the handle against Damon is behind 3-0. The next pitch is taken on the outside corner. He looked like he had a green light but took all the way. Now he takes his base. Two away to Teix.
Garza misses (badly) high away. The 1-0 is supposed to be low-in but tails over the middle waist high. Teix misses it foul back. The 1-1 hits Teixeira (brushes him, really) on the leading shoulder. Obviously a mistake. ARod up, man on first and second, two away.
Arod takes a bit high on the inside line for ball one. Another pitch in the same spot. Garza is struggling and Navarro comes out to calm him down.
The 2-0 to Alex: FAT pitch but Alex took all the way. The 2-1 is a fastball fouled straight back. Deuces, deuces on, deuces out:
Outside corner, fouled back. Reset the 2-2. GAS coming high but Alex fouls it back.
There’s a fair amount of tension in this at bat. Garza misses 6″ inside.. good looking pitch.
The payoff is fouled back. Another conversation at the mound. Another payoff: tailing low-away, ARod fans to end the inning. Great battle at the plate.
Ben Zobrist comes up and takes two balls, now hits a line drive to Damon for the first out of the bottom of the fifth.
Joba misses inside to Pena for ball one. Now outside for ball two. The 2-0 is fouled back. 2-1: in and tight. The 3-1 misses very high and outside. Not a good look for Joba. Too long between innings? It seems he is slowing down as well.
Now a strike to Burrell.
Burrell suckers on a pitch a foot and low of the plate for 0-2, and virtually the same pitch for a K to make it two outs as Gross comes up with Pena on first and two down.
A ball to gross, then a swinging strike under the heat. The 1-1: breaking pitch low. Gross offered, but not quite enough and it’s 2-1. Joba pays minor respect to Pena with a lob to first. The 2-1 is a strike low-in.
Joba misses way in and low to make it full. The payoff, with two out and one on: ball four, outside bringing up Navarro.
Joba throws his biggest curve of the night for a strike, then comes back with gas low away, which Navarro swings behind to make it 0-2. The next pitch is tipped back.
The next 0-2 is popped off the end of the bat to shallow left; Damon settles under it and the inning is over. Heading to six, Yankees 2, Rays 0.
Garza facing Godzilla in the Yankees’ sixth. Breaking pitch for a strike, now the same pitch misses in the dirt. Speed coming but Matsui is behind and under it, fouling it back. The 1-2 breaks Matsui’s ankles as he chases golf balls. Jorge up, and I am checking out.
Good night, all.
Where’s krueg? A game like this he’s got nothing to say!? Not even one Flusher lament?
It’s amazing but Joba gets stronger as the game goes on. In the early innings he was at 91-93. Now he’s at 93-95.
88 pitches through 7. They won’t but I’d love to see him get a complete game.
Joba is tight. Ya, complete game is nice, but just saw Melky HR. 5-0 lead, they should let someone young take it..
Definitely Joba stepping it up.
Seems like Bruney is warming up. Maybe he’ll actually get some outs without giving up some hrs..
Yeah, they’re not trading Joba for Halladay, not in a package of other prospects. It was a pretty silly suggestion to begin with.
Indeed. I mean, Joba will have growing pains, and yes, Halladay is a “known”, but while it’s an upgrade, it definitely does not fill the hole..
Bruney just gave up a leadoff triple. Ah well, I guess there goes the shutout, but that might be a given once Bruney got up..
Mo now getting loose. Seriously, Bruney does not give Mo any rest.
And Longoria jacks one to make the game 6-2. Bringing Bruney in is too stressful for Mo. Bring someone else in.
But no, Bruney stays in, even though he didn’t get any outs yet.
Seems like the only strikes he threw were all hits..
3 hits in 8 innings, 2 hits here already.
Bruney actually getting an out.
Pena with a double.
3 hits in 1 out.
Mo will now force to come in, in a game that really reads like blowout (or at least not a close game..)
Let’s say they feel very confident in Joba, especially after the last few games. Is that reason enough to trade Hughes+ for Halladay? I’m as big a Hughes fanboy as anybody, but that would be one sick rotation for at least the next two post-seasons (if they’re smart about Joba down the stretch).
Hughes and AJax and then guys like Nova and Kroenke is better than any package offered so far.
I have to say it’s very tempting. But I don’t think Ricciardi is going to make the move this week. We’ll be hearing more in December.
Mo with the K:BB back up to 12.
Burrell with a huge swing and strikes out with Mo.
Gross up now.
I love Hughes, and Halladay would be huge. I am tempted as well..
Rob with the jinx, now a 3-0 pitch..
Mo with his 5th walk of the year. Still tying run not up, but is on deck.
Mo strikes him out, and the Yanks win. I don’t think it’s a save. Yanks take 2 of 3.
TB is 8 back in the loss column. When do playoff tix go on sale? (How’s that for a jinx!?)
I don’t know why it wasn’t a save. Isn’t the rule the tying run has to be on double-deck? If you come into the game with a three-run lead and no one on, it’s a save. Well, this is a four-run lead with one man on. Same thing.
“Hughes and AJax and then guys like Nova and Kroenke is better than any package offered so far.”
The problem is that the Jays want a ‘complete package’ offer, with 2 pitchers, a catcher and a shortstop.
Well, he isn’t going to get top prospects of each. But Hughes, Jackson, Nova, Pena/Cervelli would indeed be a very good package, and I’d do it. It would really hurt to lose Hughes AND Jackson, two Yankees who have garnered ‘top Yankee prospect’ status, but you’re right, what a fantastic playoff rotation, and not just this season but next season as well.
Yup, that’s getting close, but I don’t give them Cervelli and Pena. Those two are actually useful on the big club.
Hughes, Nova, Corona, and make them pick Ajax or Romine.
That’s a very good offer considering what the Tribe got for Lee and especially since Lee isn’t owed $20 million.
You would hold up a Halladay deal over the upgrade from Corona to Pena? The slash means one of. Everyone has a Reegie Corona in their system. You might as well give them a case of Corona.
Hughes, Nova, Pena and Ajax or Romine is indeed a good deal, or at least a better deal than any we’ve heard so far. I’m not sure who I’d rather give up, Ajax or Romine, but I’d lean towards giving up Romine since he’s still so far away, although his upside is greater.
No, I wouldn’t hold up the deal over Pena, but nor would the Jays. I would just try to push in a different direction. Corona is 22 and has an .800 OPS in AA.
Jeter has been too healthy for too long (touch wood). They need a serviceable backup.
Then again I guess Angel Berroa could be available if needed.
Agreed on Romine. He seems good enough but nothing great. That OBP scares me.
He had a decent enough OBP down in Charleston. But the Yankees have many options at catcher. He’s more expendable than Jackson, even though he might be more valuable on the trade market.
Yeah, I can’t get too excited about a player more than two or three years away. That’s a long time in development terms. Agreed on the value too.
The problem with his OBP is it’s held up by his average. The power is coming along nicely though. Tough call but worth it for Halladay, especially if they think Montero can stick behind the plate. Plus, Mauer’s on the market after next year.
Ask yourself this question: in a best of seven series, with this offense, would you be happy with Sabathia, Burnett, Chamberlain, Pettitte as your four?
I would. Gotsta stand, though it may be on eighteen.
Honestly though, I wouldn’t think twice about dealing Romine, even in addition to Jackson, if that’s what it took to get Halladay.
But I doubt Cashman feels the same way. I think he’s proud of what he’s building down in the minors, and it’s hard to blame him.