Consecutive Clunkers

CC didn’t have his best game tonight, and Price silenced the bats, as the Rays took the opener of a three-game set, 5-1.

Sabathia (16-7) turned in his second consecutive crummy outing, as he was touched for five runs on 10 hits with seven strikeouts. The five homers he allowed — all solo shots — set a career high, and it was the sixth time a Yankee had allowed five taters in a game (David Wells ’03; Jeff Weaver ’02; Ron Guidry ’85; John Cumberland ’70; and Joe Ostrowski ’50). He wasn’t terrible though, he did throw just 106 pitches — 73 for strikes — over eight innings. It could have been much worse.

He gave up three homers in the third inning (including back-to-back dingers), and it was just the second time in his career that he’s done that; the other was on May 1, 2007 — the year he won his Cy Young…

The last time he gave up back-to-back homers was on May 13, 2010, when Miggy Cabrera and Brennan Boesch tagged him. Also, he had given up two home runs all year to lefties (Adrian Gonzalez, Jacoby Ellsbury) but yielded two in that third inning (Kotchman, Damon).

CC has now given up seven homers in his last three starts, whereas he had given up just six long balls in his previous 23 starts. He’s also been touched for 29 hits in his last three starts after surrendering 31 over his seven prior starts.

CC still has never beaten David Price in five head-to-head matchups.

Price held the Yanks to a run on six hits over eight frames. He also fanned four and walked two.

Oh well, tomorrow’s another day. Philthy will take on Jeremy Hellickson Saturday at 4:05 in the middle test of this set.

Other news and quotes:

• After playing in minor league games tonight and tomorrow, A-Rod will work out on Sunday and travel to Scranton on Monday. Once there, he’ll play in two Triple-A games on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Yanks are hoping to have him back in the lineup on Thursday in Minnesota, the beginning of a four-game set. [BTW, he hit a home run in his first at-bat on his first swing — 3-1 count. He then doubled in his second at-bat and struck out looking in his third.]
• Cashman defended AJ today. He said:

"We’ve got six guys who are capable of pitching in a rotation in a pennant race. That’s a good thing. Someone is going to have to go and we’re going to make that decision. But this stuff about AJ Burnett is worthy of being ripped from the rotation is a bunch of crap."

That doesn’t sound too good for Hughes’ chance of staying in the rotation. Girardi said the five-man rotation will start Monday as the team heads to KC for three games and then Minnesota for four.

Cash also said he highly doubts the Yanks will make a waiver addition before the August 31 deadline. “What you see is what you’re gunna get,” he said.

Girardi on CC in the postgame:

"I don’t think it’s fatigue, all players go through this. You’re gunna go through little stretches where you don’t throw the ball well, hit the ball well…If it was easy you’d have guys hitting .6, .700 and putting up crazy numbers.From day one you know that every player in that room is going to go through a period where they struggle, you know that. You just gotta fight your way out of it. I’ll take my chances in his next start."