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Pettitte, Jeter shine as Yanks blank Rays
New York takes first game 5-0, quick series concludes Wednesday afternoon
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Two of the supposedly too-old Yankee veterans did in the Rays on Tuesday. Andy Pettitte shut out Tampa Bay across eight innings and Derek Jeter made the key offensive and defensive play of the night as the Yankees won 5-0 in the Bronx.
Scott Kazmir struck out nine but gave up Jeter's two-run double in the third inning. Kazmir again struggled to keep his pitch count down and left after five innings.
Jeter ended the Rays' best chance to get back in the game. With runners on the corners and two out, Willy Aybar deep in the left part of the infield that Jeter ranged back to get, and was able to force out Dioner Navarro at second to end the inning.
The Yankees tacked on three runs in the ninth inning. Pettitte gave up just five hits on the night and struck out four, walking none.
Kazmir nearly got out of a second and third jam with none out in the third. He struck ou two batters but then Jeter took him the opposite way. Right fielder Jonny Gomes had a chance for the catch but took a terrible line and it went over his head and behind him.
Elsewhere Tuesday the Red Sox came back from down 5-2 in the eighth to beat Minnesota 6-5, putting Boston three games in back of the Rays for the AL East lead.
New York is just trying to get back in the race, and is placing a lot of importance on sweeping the two games from the Rays. Tampa Bay can cancel out the effects of Tuesday's loss on Wednesday afternoon (1:05 start). Sidney Ponson will face Edwin Jackson.
A Carlos Pena homer in the bottom of the ninth, in a rarity, did not signal another Rays drama on Monday. Kansas City recovered from losing its lead, hitting two homers in its next at-bat to beat the Rays 7-4 in 10 innings.
The Monday matinee drew 16,293 to the Trop.
After a game filled with missed scoring opportunities, the Rays finally pulled even on Pena's homer against All-Star closer Joakim Soria. However John Buck would go deep on Dan Wheeler, a three-run homer that grazed the outside of the left foul pole to make it 6-3. Mike Aviles followed with a solo tally.
Eric Hinske hit a homer in the bottom of the 10th to provide the final margin.
The Rays simply did not do enough with their chances. Though he did come up with the tying knock Pena led the way with seven left on base, and Carl Crawford fell one short of that mark.
Prime example came in the bottom of the second, when it was 2-2 and the Rays loaded the bases with no one out but could not score.
Pena's homer did serve to prevent Gil Meche's escape artistry from giving him a win on the ledger. Meche allowed 11 base runners and did not get out of the fifth. Rays starter Matt Garza went 6 1/3 innings and also received a no-decision.
Crawford's pregame comments portended what was looking to be the game-deciding mistake. Crawford played left field for the first time in two years, with B.J. Upton getting the day off. The move by Rays manager Joe Maddon irked Crawford, who said he felt "ambushed" because he only had a couple of hours notice.
"I wish I would have had a little more notice, but I don't know that decision came about," he said.
Unfortunately his lack of experience showed. In the third inning with two outs, Ross Gload singled and Mark Teahen came all the way around from first, courtesy of Crawford's lazy lofted throw into the infield.
The score stayed that way until Pena's homer.
Tampa Bay looked like it might blow the game open, quickly getting two runs in the first. Evan Longoria singled in Crawford, who had made it 1-0 when he stole his 300th career base and Buck's throw sailed into center.
At that point the Rays were outscoring Kansas City 25-4 in the series, but the Royals fought back. David DeJesus blasted a two-run triple off the wall to even the score. Then Tampa Bay looked like it would answer, loading the bases on on a bunt single, walk and fielder's choice. But Meche got Crawford and Pena to pop up and then struck out Longoria.
The Rays had two runners on with one out in both the third and sixth, and wasted leadoff doubles in the fourth (by Aki Iwamura) and eighth (Dioner Navarro).
Garza allowed nine hits and walked three to go with five strikeouts. J. P. Howell and Trever Miller finished up until Wheeler took over in the 10th with no success.
Kansas City actually led 2-0 Sunday but James Shields shook that off, and his teammates gave him more than enough support as Tampa Bay beat the Royals 9-2 at the Trop.
After Esteban German's two-run single in the top of the second the Rays would squander a chance to get even in the bottom of the inning, settling for one run when the bases were loaded with nobody out.
But the Rays would not settle for settling in the third, taking the lead on Carlos Pena's two-run double and making it 5-2 on Evan Longoria's two-run homer. An inning later B.J. Upton tacked on his own two-RBI double. Gabe Gross would later homer.
Shields struck out eight for the win. He allowed just four hits in seven innings; Gary Glover and Trever Miller pitched a frame apiece.
Andy Sonnanstine has had his share of victories where most of the credit could go to those around him. But Saturday he took command.
Sonnanstine pitched a shutout of seven innings to outduel Zack Greinke, and the Rays beat the Royals 3-0 before more than 30,000 at the Trop. It was Sonnanstine's 10th win of the season.
Scott Kazmir struck out nine but gave up Jeter's two-run double in the third inning. Kazmir again struggled to keep his pitch count down and left after five innings.
Jeter ended the Rays' best chance to get back in the game. With runners on the corners and two out, Willy Aybar deep in the left part of the infield that Jeter ranged back to get, and was able to force out Dioner Navarro at second to end the inning.
The Yankees tacked on three runs in the ninth inning. Pettitte gave up just five hits on the night and struck out four, walking none.
Kazmir nearly got out of a second and third jam with none out in the third. He struck ou two batters but then Jeter took him the opposite way. Right fielder Jonny Gomes had a chance for the catch but took a terrible line and it went over his head and behind him.
Elsewhere Tuesday the Red Sox came back from down 5-2 in the eighth to beat Minnesota 6-5, putting Boston three games in back of the Rays for the AL East lead.
New York is just trying to get back in the race, and is placing a lot of importance on sweeping the two games from the Rays. Tampa Bay can cancel out the effects of Tuesday's loss on Wednesday afternoon (1:05 start). Sidney Ponson will face Edwin Jackson.
A Carlos Pena homer in the bottom of the ninth, in a rarity, did not signal another Rays drama on Monday. Kansas City recovered from losing its lead, hitting two homers in its next at-bat to beat the Rays 7-4 in 10 innings.
The Monday matinee drew 16,293 to the Trop.
After a game filled with missed scoring opportunities, the Rays finally pulled even on Pena's homer against All-Star closer Joakim Soria. However John Buck would go deep on Dan Wheeler, a three-run homer that grazed the outside of the left foul pole to make it 6-3. Mike Aviles followed with a solo tally.
Eric Hinske hit a homer in the bottom of the 10th to provide the final margin.
The Rays simply did not do enough with their chances. Though he did come up with the tying knock Pena led the way with seven left on base, and Carl Crawford fell one short of that mark.
Prime example came in the bottom of the second, when it was 2-2 and the Rays loaded the bases with no one out but could not score.
Pena's homer did serve to prevent Gil Meche's escape artistry from giving him a win on the ledger. Meche allowed 11 base runners and did not get out of the fifth. Rays starter Matt Garza went 6 1/3 innings and also received a no-decision.
Crawford's pregame comments portended what was looking to be the game-deciding mistake. Crawford played left field for the first time in two years, with B.J. Upton getting the day off. The move by Rays manager Joe Maddon irked Crawford, who said he felt "ambushed" because he only had a couple of hours notice.
"I wish I would have had a little more notice, but I don't know that decision came about," he said.
Unfortunately his lack of experience showed. In the third inning with two outs, Ross Gload singled and Mark Teahen came all the way around from first, courtesy of Crawford's lazy lofted throw into the infield.
The score stayed that way until Pena's homer.
Tampa Bay looked like it might blow the game open, quickly getting two runs in the first. Evan Longoria singled in Crawford, who had made it 1-0 when he stole his 300th career base and Buck's throw sailed into center.
At that point the Rays were outscoring Kansas City 25-4 in the series, but the Royals fought back. David DeJesus blasted a two-run triple off the wall to even the score. Then Tampa Bay looked like it would answer, loading the bases on on a bunt single, walk and fielder's choice. But Meche got Crawford and Pena to pop up and then struck out Longoria.
The Rays had two runners on with one out in both the third and sixth, and wasted leadoff doubles in the fourth (by Aki Iwamura) and eighth (Dioner Navarro).
Garza allowed nine hits and walked three to go with five strikeouts. J. P. Howell and Trever Miller finished up until Wheeler took over in the 10th with no success.
Kansas City actually led 2-0 Sunday but James Shields shook that off, and his teammates gave him more than enough support as Tampa Bay beat the Royals 9-2 at the Trop.
After Esteban German's two-run single in the top of the second the Rays would squander a chance to get even in the bottom of the inning, settling for one run when the bases were loaded with nobody out.
But the Rays would not settle for settling in the third, taking the lead on Carlos Pena's two-run double and making it 5-2 on Evan Longoria's two-run homer. An inning later B.J. Upton tacked on his own two-RBI double. Gabe Gross would later homer.
Shields struck out eight for the win. He allowed just four hits in seven innings; Gary Glover and Trever Miller pitched a frame apiece.
Andy Sonnanstine has had his share of victories where most of the credit could go to those around him. But Saturday he took command.
Sonnanstine pitched a shutout of seven innings to outduel Zack Greinke, and the Rays beat the Royals 3-0 before more than 30,000 at the Trop. It was Sonnanstine's 10th win of the season.
© 2008