Game 83: Yankees Look to Avoid Sweep By Last Place Rays

The Yankees are coming off of yet another loss where the offense just did not produce. Again Hiroki Kuroda was the victim of no run support as the Yankees lost game two of the series, 2-1. The losing skid is now at four in row and the Yankees will need some positive momentum before heading out to Minnesota for the weekend.

Trying to salvage the series will be left hander Vidal Nuno (2-4 5.42 ERA). The lefty is coming off one of his best starts of the season where he threw 5.2 shut out innings, while only giving up two hits against archrival Boston. Picking up the win gave Nuno his first ever at Yankee Stadium (he was previously 0-4). Hopefully Nuno can put together a streak when the Yankees need it the most.

Closing out the series for the Rays will be young right hander Jake Odorizzi (3-7 4.14 ERA). In his last four starts, Odorizzi has only allowed two or more runs once which will be tough on the struggling Yankee lineup. The righty did not factor into the decision in his last outing, giving up one run on six hits over five innings. His 1.33 WHIP is a positive sign for the Yankees as they have struggled finding ways on base and taking advantage of runners in scoring position as of late.

What to Watch For…

Gehrig’s Day: The Yankees will honor the 75th anniversary of Lou Gehrig’s “Luckiest Man” speech before the 1:05 pm start today. The speech originally took place July 4th, but the Yankees will be on the road in Minnesota on that date.

Jeter at the Plate: Derek Jeter has always hit the Rays well over the course of his career. He is a lifetime .302 hitter in 250 games, and he is 3-for-10 thus far this series. Last night he tied Lou Gehrig on the Yankees all time doubles list.