Batting for the last time in the 2020 season, the Tampa Bay Rays travel to New York for a three-game set. The top of the AL East battles it out in The Bronx. Both sides hungry for a series win, the must-watch series will begin with a pair of aces on the rubber: Tyler Glasnow and Gerrit Cole. Play ball!
Game 1 Final: Rays 5, Yankees 3
Probables: Tyler Glasnow (1-1, 5.14 ERA) vs Gerrit Cole (4-1, 3.51 ERA)
Win / Loss / Save: TB – Glasnow (2-1) / NYY – Cole (4-2) / Castillo (3)
Facing off for their third time this season, the top-of-the-league arms in New York’s Gerrit Cole and Tampa Bay’s Tyler Glasnow was set up to be a fantastic pitching duel. But, in the end — only one of those arms panned out the way it was projected. Tampa Bay’s Tyler Glasnow sat down the Yankees lineup with ease. The right-hander went 6.0 IP while only allowing 2 hits on 9 K’s. Complete domination by Glasnow in game one. On the other side, Gerrit Cole did not look pretty as he had his third underachieving start in a row. Allowing four earned runs on two home runs, Cole was not his usual-dominating self on the rubber. In eight starts, Cole has allowed all but two runs via home runs. If the potential Cy Young winner wants to lead the Yankees into the playoffs, he’ll have to revamp his game with a month remaining.
Anyway, the Yankees were held scoreless until the 7th inning. Late inning homers from Gio Urshela (6) and a league-tying two-run home run from Voit (13) stirred the pot on a potential comeback. Though, the Yankees were outmatched and unable to comeback as they would fall short, 5-3.
The Tampa Bay five-run scoring production came home runs via Ji-Man Choi (3) and Kevin Kiermaier (3). RBI singles from Choi and Manuel Margot added to the lead.
All in all, the Yankees need to find an answer for the Tampa Bay Rays. Currently down 7-1 in the season series, New York has to flip the script if they have any thoughts on winning the AL East. Your final in game one: 5-3 Tampa Bay
Player of the Game: RP Miguel Yajure: 3 IP, 3 K, 3 BB, 49
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Game 2 Final: Rays 3, Yankees 5
Probables: Trevor Richards (0-0, 5.14 ERA) vs Masahiro Tanaka (0-1, 3.48 ERA)
Win / Loss / Save: NYY – Tanaka (1-1) / TB – Thompson (1-2) / NYY – Chapman (1)
The Yankees – finally – beat the Tampa Bay Rays and captured a huge win in The Bronx for game two of the series. The stars that surged the win were SP Masahiro Tanka and 2B DJ LeMahieu. Tanaka — on a Tuesday — had a strong outing and pushed the Yankees into a strong winning position. Grabbing his first win of the season, the right-hander went 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, 7 K.
Getting the Yankees going early, DJ LeMahieu (2) led the game off with a solo shot to put NY up 1-0. Shortly after, in his second at bat of the game, LeMahieu (3) said: ‘why not add one more’, as he went on to crush his second home run of the game in as many at-bats.
But tying the game in the fifth, Tampa Bay’s Kevin Kiermaier crushed a Tanaka fastball into the right field bleachers to even the game at two.
Later in the game, with runners on first and second, the bat of Gio Urshela crushed a line drive into the centerfield gap to score two. On what was scored in the books as a double, Urshela went on to take third during the relay throw. With the ball mishandled by the Rays, Urshela capitalized and eventually went on to score. A little-league inside-the-park home run for Urshela is how the Yankees took a three-run lead.
Though homering to left, TB’s Willy Adames added one to the score, but it wasn’t enough to propel the comeback. A strong bullpen performance from Loaisiga, Britton and Chapman added to a strong team victory in game two. Yankees steal game two, 5-3 headed to the rubber match in The Bronx.
Player of the Game: 2B DJ LeMahieu: 2-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
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Game 3 Final: Rays 5, Yankees 2
Probables: Charlie Morton (0-0, -.– ERA) vs Jordan Montgomery (1-2, 2.03 ERA)
Win / Loss / Save: TB – Curtiss (2-0) / NYY – Montgomery (2-2)
Making it interesting in the bottom of the ninth and flirting with a lead, the Yankees drop a rough one as they fall to the Rays 5-2 in game three. This game finalized the Yankees-Rays 2020 series’ and New York concluded as 2-8. SP Jordan Montgomery didn’t go the distance as he allowed four earned runs, five hits and a walk in just 0.2 IP. Yikes. This game was over before it even got started and a heartbreaking outing for the southpaw Montgomery. The TB Rays’ scoring first inning scoring production two two-run home runs. The bats of Arozarena (1) and Brosseau (1) added were tagged with an RBI, respectively. Brosseau’s production didn’t stop there as he went 2-5, with 2 HR, 2 R and 3 RBIs at the dish.
The New York offense has been twisted into a pretzel recently and it showed in this game. A home run from Frazier in the sixth and an RBI single by LeMahieu added two to the total, it wasn’t enough to prevail. It’s bluntly obvious that this lineup needs – and I mean really needs – the presence of Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres back. Luke Voit, Clint Frazier and DJ LeMahieu cannot be the only ones doing the damage. It’s plain and simple.
After 0.2 IP from Montgomery, the Yankees bullpen held the run deceit to less than five. Arms such as Nick Nelson, Jonathan Holder, Ben Heller, Luis Cessa, Adam Ottavino and Chad Green appeared in the game in relief. Falling short two games to one, the Yankees move to 20-15, while Tampa Bay advances to 26-12.
Player of the Game: RP Luis Cessa: 2.2 IP, BB, K, 37 P
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Player of the Series: 2B DJ LeMahieu: 5-14, 3 RBI, 2 HR, 3 R
Upcoming Series: Sept. 3 @ New York Mets
Photo: Yahoo! Sports
