Series Recap: Yankees Hang On To Win Tampa Road Series

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Game Three

After suffering through a handful of poor outings, and being given extra rest, Hiroki Kuroda pitched the Yankees to a series finale victory, and a series-clinching win, tossing 6 2/3 innings, and only allowing 2 earned runs. Tampa had previously knocked Kuroda around in his previous starts against the the Rays. Brett Gardner once again, paced the Yankees’ offense, driving in two, and Mark Teixeira made some history of his own. His 8th inning home run off of Joel Peralta tied him on the all-time home run list with former Yankees’ great, Joe DiMaggio.

The Yankees’ bullpen went 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, to lock down the win for Kuroda, and the Yankees came out on top, 4-2. Jeremy Hellickson, who had been pitching excellent baseball since returning from the disabled list, had the Yankees at his mercy through the first four frames, before being chased after 5 innings, 3 earned runs and 99 pitches. The game also marked the return of Carlos Beltran to right field for the Yankees, but he was later relieved by Ichiro Suzuki. Beltran reported no issues with his throwing elbow, which has a bone spur and has forced him to exclusive designated hitter duty since his return from the disabled list.

Sunday also marked the return of starting catcher Brian McCann, who was on the 7-day disabled list with concussion symptoms. He was activated just before game time, and showed nothing at the plate in his return the Yankees’ lineup, going 0-for-4 on the day.

The Yankees are now off until Tuesday, when they return home to open a six-game homestand against the Houston Astros. If the Bombers are going to start gaining the necessary ground up that they need to make a postseason push, nothing less than a sweep will be acceptable. Check back in with Yanks Go Yard for a series preview that will be available Tuesday afternoon!