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Yankees 8, Rays 7 (Game #13) [6-7]
What a heartbreaker! Being down 7-2 in the seventh inning, the Rays rallied back to tie, 7-7, only to lose the game, 8-7, after a Robinson Cano pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning. Al Reyes! Arrrgh! Andy Sonnanstine had three horrid innings, giving up seven runs (three solo home runs) and nine hits, but Scott Dohmann was the hero in my opinion, pitching a fine 3 2/3 innings, enabling the Rays to stage a comeback. One of the most exciting innings in Rays' history had to be the seventh. Jason Bartlett, who has been struggling lately, started the onslaught with a single, which set up Carl Crawford's two-run homer to deep right, his first extra-base hit of the season. Crawford finished the game with three RBIs. Next batter Carlos Pena was hit by a pitch and then B.J. Upton had a two-run line-drive home run to deep center. Third baseman Evan Longoria tied the game 7-7 with his first major league home run to deep left. Wow! Listening to the game on the internet, each home run had a distinctive cracking of the bat sound, which prompted me to speculate that it had enough zing to go over the wall before announcers Dave Wills and Andy Freed declared its trajectory. Amazing stuff. Ian Kennedy was in the catbird seat until he was hit by a line drive, right hip area, in the seventh inning by Bartlett, knocking him out of the game. Kennedy allowed three runs and eight hits in six-plus innings. Billy Traber and Brian Bruney mucked it up until Mariano Rivera got the last four outs for his fourth save in four opportunities. Worth noting, Alex Rodriguez hit his 521st home run to match Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Willie McCovey on the career list. It's a shame the Rays' bats were dormant for the final two innings, but I gotta give the team credit for fighting back. Edwin Jackson will attempt to make it three in a row. The 24-year-old right-hander held the Yankees to just one run in six innings, striking out four, for his first start. Jackson was even better in his next start, allowing just two singles and four walks in eight shutout innings, striking out six against Seattle last Thursday. Jackson will face Andy Pettitte again, who struggled against the Rays, allowing eight hits and three earned runs in five innings. Pettitte has won his last six career road decisions against Tampa Bay, where he’s 7-1 with a 3.23 ERA. He hasn’t lost to the Rays on the road since 1998. New York will be without Joba Chamberlain for the second straight game. He's on the bereavement list and left the team to visit his father who's in poor health. Since the Rays will travel to Minneapolis on Tuesday night to face the Twins for a short two-game series, getting the split against the Yankees is crucial. Tampa Bay will return home for a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox starting Friday. I'm praying that Jackson will have his third consecutive successful start tomorrow. Finally, I'll have the essential ammo to advise his cynics to keep their mouths SHUT! And even if that's not the case, I'll still preach the talent and flair that Mr. Jackson possesses. Love affair or not, the Dodgers are the ones who should be dismayed. Let's hope it's the Yankees first (again)!
What a heartbreaker! Being down 7-2 in the seventh inning, the Rays rallied back to tie, 7-7, only to lose the game, 8-7, after a Robinson Cano pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning. Al Reyes! Arrrgh! Andy Sonnanstine had three horrid innings, giving up seven runs (three solo home runs) and nine hits, but Scott Dohmann was the hero in my opinion, pitching a fine 3 2/3 innings, enabling the Rays to stage a comeback. One of the most exciting innings in Rays' history had to be the seventh. Jason Bartlett, who has been struggling lately, started the onslaught with a single, which set up Carl Crawford's two-run homer to deep right, his first extra-base hit of the season. Crawford finished the game with three RBIs. Next batter Carlos Pena was hit by a pitch and then B.J. Upton had a two-run line-drive home run to deep center. Third baseman Evan Longoria tied the game 7-7 with his first major league home run to deep left. Wow! Listening to the game on the internet, each home run had a distinctive cracking of the bat sound, which prompted me to speculate that it had enough zing to go over the wall before announcers Dave Wills and Andy Freed declared its trajectory. Amazing stuff. Ian Kennedy was in the catbird seat until he was hit by a line drive, right hip area, in the seventh inning by Bartlett, knocking him out of the game. Kennedy allowed three runs and eight hits in six-plus innings. Billy Traber and Brian Bruney mucked it up until Mariano Rivera got the last four outs for his fourth save in four opportunities. Worth noting, Alex Rodriguez hit his 521st home run to match Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Willie McCovey on the career list. It's a shame the Rays' bats were dormant for the final two innings, but I gotta give the team credit for fighting back. Edwin Jackson will attempt to make it three in a row. The 24-year-old right-hander held the Yankees to just one run in six innings, striking out four, for his first start. Jackson was even better in his next start, allowing just two singles and four walks in eight shutout innings, striking out six against Seattle last Thursday. Jackson will face Andy Pettitte again, who struggled against the Rays, allowing eight hits and three earned runs in five innings. Pettitte has won his last six career road decisions against Tampa Bay, where he’s 7-1 with a 3.23 ERA. He hasn’t lost to the Rays on the road since 1998. New York will be without Joba Chamberlain for the second straight game. He's on the bereavement list and left the team to visit his father who's in poor health. Since the Rays will travel to Minneapolis on Tuesday night to face the Twins for a short two-game series, getting the split against the Yankees is crucial. Tampa Bay will return home for a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox starting Friday. I'm praying that Jackson will have his third consecutive successful start tomorrow. Finally, I'll have the essential ammo to advise his cynics to keep their mouths SHUT! And even if that's not the case, I'll still preach the talent and flair that Mr. Jackson possesses. Love affair or not, the Dodgers are the ones who should be dismayed. Let's hope it's the Yankees first (again)!
