Rays Vs. Yankees: Hunt For The Wild Card Stalls As Rays Fall, 4-2

There have been many defining moments of the Rays seasons thus far, but this one….this one I think takes the cake. Let’s set the scene real quick.

Top of the eighth, score tied 2-2. The Rays and Yanks have been battling back and forth in this game, with the Rays refusing to give up and tying the game late thanks to two home runs from Kelly Shoppach and Sean Rodriguez. News has already broken that the Red Sox lost to the Orioles, so if the Rays were to win, they’d move to within a 1.5 games of the Sox with a chance to make it one game tomorrow.

Jeremy Hellickson and C.C. Sabathia neatly matched each other over seven innings of play, but Sabathia opened up the eighth by showing some signs of tiring. He got one quick out on a flyball by Shoppach, but then he allowed a single to Desmond Jennings and a freak single to B.J. Upton on a liner that bounced off his glove. Evan Longoria fell behind in the count 0-2, but fought back and refused to bite on a number of close pitches, eventually drawing a walk to load the bases.

So here we are. Top 8, tie ballgame, one out, bases loaded, and huge stakes on the line. The Yankees bring in David Robertson to relieve Sabathia, and up to the plate walks Ben Zobrist. It was now or never for the Rays; these sort of opportunities don’t come by all too often against the Yanks, and you could just feel that if the Rays didn’t score here, that was it – game over. The game and the season hung in the balance.

And on the first pitch, Ben Zobrist hits into an inning-ending double play. The Yankees would score two runs in the bottom of the eighth, and just like that, the Rays are 2.5 games back of Boston and they’ve lost the last three games in a row.

I’m not saying this loss is Zobrist’s fault; even though he did have a horrible night at the plate, the Rays’ offense in general was pretty pathetic. They also couldn’t get in a run in the second inning, when they had runners on first and second with one out, and their 3-5 hitters went 0-10 on the evening. The Rays just struggled. They couldn’t get the timely hit, and they weren’t quite good enough in the end.

So it goes.

Game Notes:

- Simply put, Thursday’s game is now a must-win for the Rays. To help give them the best shot possible, Joe Maddon has flopped the rotation around; Matt Moore will get his first major league start Thursday, while Jeff Niemann will start Saturday instead. Supposedly this is because Niemann is battling some soreness, but what player isn’t sore at this point in the season? I’m going to call a bluff on this one.

Tampa Bay Rays Collapse Late, New York Yankees Win 4-2

This recap comes courtesy of SBN Tampa Bay.

In a game that should have been an easy win, the Rays (85-69) could not take advantage of the Yankees (94-60) and their cavalcade of relievers. Hector Noesi started the game, but his 50 to 60 pitch count limit lasted him only 2 and 2/3 innings. He was then followed by seven different relievers.

James Shields (L, 15-12) started the game poorly, giving up a two-out RBI double to Alex Rodriguez, but with his team down 0-1, he began pitching lights-out. Over the following six innings, Shields frustrated the Yankees hitters, allowing only two base runners. In the top of the 3rd, Desmond Jennings gave Shields a precarious 1-run lead after hitting a 2-run homer that snuck over the left field wall.

Shields proceed to strike out 7 batters, while walking only 2 -- unfortunately, the second of the 2 walks came in the crucial 8th inning. At the bottom of the 8th, Eduardo Nunez homered to left, tying the game 2-2. One out later, Brett Gardner singled to left (following an annoyingly good at bat) and then Derek Jeter walked.

At this point, Joe Maddon elected to bring in lefty J.P. Howell from the bullpen. After falling down 3-1 to Curtis Granderson, Howell left a slider over the outside of the plate and high, which Granderson powered into centerfield for a game-winning 2-run double.

Mariano Rivera came in to pitch a perfect top of the 9th and the Rays, just like that, fell to 2.5 back in the Wild Card standings, and New York clinched it's 94th win and a postseason spot.

Notes:

• Eduardo Nunez stole second and third base off James Shields today, who had a difficult time controlling the runners for the first time in seemingly a long time. All told, the Yankees stole three bases and were not caught once.
• The Rays, who should have torn through the Yankees relievers today, mustered only 3 extra base hits over 9 total hits. Elliot Johnson and Casey Kotchman both doubled, and Desmond Jennings homered, but the lineup also combined for 10 strikeouts and only 2 walks.
• Ben Zobrist arrived late to the game and had a pinch hit strikeout in the 8th inning. At least he will get a full 4 PAs in the later game because the Rays have a monumental task in the form of solving CC Sabathia.

Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees Game 1 Recap

The Rays lose a winnable game as rookie Ivan Nova flusters the Rays offense, and pitcher Wade Davis struggles through the early innings.