Game Recap: Ellsbury and Yankees Steal a Win to Snap 3-Game Skid
By Aaron Dortch
There weren’t high expectations for the last-place Yankees (5-9) as they opened up their series against the Rays (7-8) on Friday night. Having amassed only three wins since April 9th and losing seven of their last eight games, the free-falling Bombers hoped CC Sabathia could pin down the Rays’ lineup. Prior to the game, Branden Pinder was placed on the 15-day DL with a right elbow strain and RHP Nick Goody was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Yankees lineup:
- Brett Gardner, LF
- Starlin Castro, 2B
- Carlos Beltran, RF
- Mark Teixeira, 1B
- Alex Rodriguez, DH
- Brian McCann, C
- Chase Headley, 3B
- Aaron Hicks, CF
- Didi Gregorius, SS
P – Sabathia
Rays lineup:
- Logan Forsythe, 2B
- Brandon Guyer, CF
- Evan Longoria, 3B
- Corey Dickerson, DH
- Desmond Jennings, LF
- Steve Pearce, 1B
- Steven Souza, RF
- Tim Beckham, SS
- Curt Casali, C
P – Matt Moore
If you went to the kitchen to get a snack you probably missed the bottom of the first, because Moore retired the side on just four pitches.
Sabathia wouldn’t have such an easy half-inning when he came back to the mound for the second. After Jennings lined out to right field, two walks and a single loaded the bases for the Rays’ ninth hitter, Casali. But the big fella snuck a sinking fastball past him to get the second out.
Then Tampa Bay took a 2-0 lead when Forsythe laced a double to the left field corner. This already seemed like a deflating blow to the Yankees, who’s offense has scored more than two runs only twice in the last eight games.
But the team showed early life in the bottom of the second, getting back both runs on a two-run bomb from McCann. Teixeira had singled to left field in the prior at-bat, and for the first time in a while we witnessed the middle of the order working together again.
The Rays tacked on another run in the fourth when Guyer drove in Forsythe following his double. Another double by Longoria put runners on second and third, and the Yankees were lucky that the Rays’ 3B coach stopped Guyer while he was rounding third because he would’ve scored on the play. Dickerson wound up grounding out to Castro for the third out.
Hicks was removed from the field in the fifth inning after being beaten up on a dive attempt from earlier in the game.
Sabathia wasn’t taken out much later than Hicks. After allowing two batters to reach base, CC was replaced by Ivan Nova with two outs in the fifth.
Down 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth, the Yankees had runners on second and third with two outs. Gardner was at the plate with a full count when Ellsbury suddenly broke for home! In perhaps the most exciting play of New York’s 2016 season so far, Ellsbury was called safe and he tied the game at 3-3.
The Yankees were up to it again in the sixth. Beltran singled to center and Teixeira followed it with a long single that missed being a home run by mere feet. With two on and no outs, the struggling A-Rod continued his cold streak by popping out to the catcher. But McCann put the team on his shoulders once more by giving the Yankees their first lead of the night with an RBI-single to left field, making it 4-3.
The Bombers turned to trusted reliever Dellin Betances to take over in the eighth. Boy did he come out of the gate firing, collecting three strikeouts on 11 pitches. The man just throws straight filth.
Ellsbury would continue his impressive day by sending a two-run double into right field that gave the Yankees some breathing room heading into the ninth.
At the helm of a 6-3 lead, Andrew Miller closed out the game by retiring the Rays hitters in order.
On Saturday afternoon Tampa Bay will be calling up top prospect LHP Blake Snell to battle Masahiro Tanaka (1-0, 3.06). The game will begin at 1:05 PM ET.