Final
Rays-Yankees Preview
May 7, 2009 - 5:18 AM By JON PALMIERI STATS EditorTampa Bay (12-16) at New York (13-13), 7:05 p.m. EDT
The New York Yankees have experienced their share of potential distractions in the first month of the season. They've also endured more losses than expected from a team with baseball's highest payroll.
Hoping to avoid their first five-game losing streak in nearly two years, the Yankees close a brief two-game series against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night.
The offseason additions of big-name free agents CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira only served to increase expectations for the Yankees (13-14), who reached the playoffs 13 straight seasons before falling short last year.
Anything less than a World Series title is usually unacceptable in New York, where empty seats in the new $1.5 billion Yankee Stadium have received as much attention as the team's disappointing play on the field.
Sabathia, Burnett and Teixeira have all performed well below expectations with their new team. Sabathia (4.85 ERA) and Burnett (5.26) have combined for only three wins in 12 starts and each sports an ERA well above their career averages while Teixeira is batting .209 with 15 RBIs.
Teixeira delivered a game-tying, three-run double in the eighth inning of Wednesday night's 4-3, 10-inning loss to Tampa Bay (13-16), but also stranded a runner at third with one out in the 10th when he flied out to shallow right.
"I've got to get that runner home," Teixeira said. "I tried to hit a fly ball and I popped it up a little bit. Little things."
Teixeira's slump can be partly attributed to the absence of Alex Rodriguez, who has yet to play this season following hip surgery. Rodriguez, who likely will bat behind Teixeira, could return as early as Friday at Baltimore.
"People are asking if it's Friday," manager Joe Girardi said before Wednesday's game. "I'm not going to say 100 percent he's not going to be here - or he is going to be here."
With their fourth consecutive loss, the Yankees matched their longest skid from last season and dropped to 3-9 against the AL East. They last dropped five in a row May 25-29, 2007.
"It's a tough loss. No loss is enjoyable, but this is a tough loss," Girardi said.
Carlos Pena led off the 10th with his major league-leading 12th home run, lifting the Rays to their fifth win in seven games.
Carl Crawford stole his major league-leading 20th base to join Bert Campaneris, Rickey Henderson and Corey Patterson as the only players since 1954 to steal a base in nine straight games. Crawford is perfect in 20 tries this season.
Jeff Niemann (2-3, 5.68) hopes to pitch the Rays to their first three-game win streak. The second-year right-hander had his worst start of the season Saturday in a 10-6 loss to Boston, allowing six runs and seven hits in three innings, the shortest start of his career.
Niemann had surrendered five earned runs in his previous three starts over 17 innings before getting hit hard by the Red Sox.
Andy Pettitte (2-1, 3.82) look to rebound from his worst performance of the season for New York. After limiting opponents to three earned runs or fewer in each of his first four starts, the left-hander was tagged for five runs and nine hits in 5 2-3 innings Friday against the Los Angeles Angels before the Yankees rallied for a 10-9 victory.
Pettitte held the Rays to three runs through 7 1-3 innings April 15 at Tropicana Field, leaving without a decision in New York's 4-3 win. He is 15-4 with a 3.70 ERA in 25 starts against Tampa Bay.
Pena is 10-for-30 (.333) with three homers lifetime versus Pettitte.
- AL
FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
TAMPA BAY 2 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 2 8 13 0
NY YANKEES 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 2 0 6 10 0 (FINAL)
BATTERIES: TAM - JEFF NIEMANN, LANCE CORMIER (4TH), J.P. HOWELL (6TH), DAN
WHEELER (8TH), BRIAN SHOUSE (9TH), JOE NELSON (9TH) AND DIONER
NAVARRO
NYY - ANDY PETTITTE, JOSE VE
May 7 11:19 PM - AL
AT NY YANKEES - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY EVAN LONGORIA (10) TO LEFT WITH 1 OUT IN
THE 9TH OFF MARIANO RIVERA.
CURRENT SCORE: TAMPA BAY 8, NY YANKEES 6
DUE UP FOR TAMPA BAY: C PENA (.269, 1-FOR-3, BB, HR, RBI)
Rays 8, Yankees 6 Top 9, 0 OutsMay 7 10:22 PM - AL
AT NY YANKEES - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY CARL CRAWFORD (1) TO RIGHT WITH 1 OUT IN
THE 9TH OFF MARIANO RIVERA.
CURRENT SCORE: TAMPA BAY 7, NY YANKEES 6
DUE UP FOR TAMPA BAY: E LONGORIA (.363, 2-FOR-4, HR, 2 RBI)
Rays 7, Yankees 6 Top 9, 0 OutsMay 7 10:20 PM - AL
AT NY YANKEES - SCORING UPDATE
TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY JOHNNY DAMON (7) TO RIGHT WITH 2 OUT IN
THE 8TH OFF DAN WHEELER SCORED DEREK JETER.
CURRENT SCORE: TAMPA BAY 6, NY YANKEES 6
DUE UP FOR NY YANKEES: M TEIXEIRA (.200, 0-FOR-4)
Rays 6, Yankees 6 Bot 8, 0 OutsMay 7 10:08 PM - AL
AT NY YANKEES - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY PAT BURRELL SCORED EVAN LONGORIA.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, P BURRELL ON FIRST, C PENA ON THIRD, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: TAMPA BAY 6
NY YANKEES 4 TOP, 7TH
DUE UP FOR TAMPA BAY: B ZOBRIST (.283, 2-FOR-3, HR, RBI)
Rays 6, Yankees 4 Top 7, 0 OutsMay 7 9:41 PM - AL
AT NY YANKEES - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY BEN ZOBRIST (5) TO LEFT WITH 2 OUT IN THE
6TH OFF ANDY PETTITTE.
CURRENT SCORE: TAMPA BAY 5, NY YANKEES 4
DUE UP FOR TAMPA BAY: G KAPLER (.200, 0-FOR-2)
Rays 5, Yankees 4 Top 6, 0 OutsMay 7 9:12 PM - AL
AT NY YANKEES - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY HIDEKI MATSUI (3) TO RIGHT WITH 0 OUT IN
THE 5TH OFF LANCE CORMIER.
CURRENT SCORE: TAMPA BAY 4, NY YANKEES 4
DUE UP FOR NY YANKEES: R CANO (.328, 0-FOR-2)
Rays 4, Yankees 4 Bot 5, 0 OutsMay 7 9:00 PM - AL
AT NY YANKEES - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY JOHNNY DAMON SCORED RAMIRO PENA AND JOSE MOLINA.
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, J DAMON ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: TAMPA BAY 4
NY YANKEES 3 BOTTOM, 4TH
DUE UP FOR NY YANKEES: M TEIXEIRA (.204, 0-FOR-2)
Rays 4, Yankees 3 Bot 4, 0 OutsMay 7 8:46 PM - AL
AT NY YANKEES - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY JOSE MOLINA SCORED MELKY CABRERA.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J MOLINA ON SECOND, R PENA ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: TAMPA BAY 4
NY YANKEES 1 BOTTOM, 4TH
DUE UP FOR NY YANKEES: D JETER (.274, 1-FOR-1, BB)
Rays 4, Yankees 1 Bot 4, 0 OutsMay 7 8:43 PM - AL
AT NY YANKEES - SCORING UPDATE
TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY EVAN LONGORIA (9) TO RIGHT WITH 1 OUT
IN THE 3RD OFF ANDY PETTITTE SCORED CARL CRAWFORD.
CURRENT SCORE: TAMPA BAY 4, NY YANKEES 0
DUE UP FOR TAMPA BAY: C PENA (.274, 1-FOR-1, HR, RBI)
Rays 4, Yankees 0 Top 3, 0 OutsMay 7 8:03 PM - AL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
TAMPA BAY 2 2 4 0
NY YANKEES 0 0 0 (BOT 1)
CURRENT PITCHERS: TAM - JEFF NIEMANN
NYY - ANDY PETTITTE
DUE UP FOR NY YANKEES: D JETER (.267, 4 HR, 13 RBI)
J DAMON (.290, 6 HR, 15 RBI)
M TEIXEIRA (.209, 5 HR, 15
Rays 2, Yankees 0 Bot 1, 0 OutsMay 7 7:22 PM
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