Yankees: Series loss against Rays and other clubhouse news

The Yankees fall to the Tampa Bay Rays in another disappointing series, make a number of roster changes and begin to trade for reinforcements.

The Yankees struggles to win series against AL East teams continue. Versus the Rays, the Yanks could only muster one win, as the offense went silent and issues with RISP continue.

Luis Severino labored once again in the series opener, pitching his worst outing of the season. His final line: 5.0 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 8 K. Though the Yankees rallied late, down 7-6 in the top of the ninth, a Gary Sanchez play — which sparked great outrage in fans was the difference in the game.

Following the loss, Sanchez underwent an MRI that revealed a right groin strain, the same injury that landed him on the disabled list in June. The Yankees placed him on the 10-day DL and expect he’ll be out until late August or early September.

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After Monday’s devastating loss, Masahiro Tanaka shined in his start, pitching a three-hit shutout. RBIs from Didi Gregorius, Neil Walker, and two from Austin Romine accounted for the offense. The Yankees came out victorious with a final score of 4-0.

Then the Yanks went out and officially announced their acquisition of left-handed relief pitcher, Zach Britton. In exchange for Britton, the Yankees gave up pitching prospects Dillon Tate, Cody Carroll, and Josh Rogers.

ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reported Britton’s comments on the trade following the game on Tuesday:

“I know what the feeling’s like when you’re a winning ballclub and you get in that clubhouse, you can feel it,” Britton said of joining the Yankees. “Hopefully, I can step right in and do a good job.”

The addition of Britton to the bullpen will help further reinforce it. His talent should be monumental in the Postseason. Pundits expect more trade activity from GM Brian Cashman as the July 31 deadline quickly approaches.

On Wednesday, the Yankees lost the rubber match in the three-game set to the Rays. Despite Luis Cessa’s strong effort (5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K) the bats fell silent. The offense went 0-for-8 with men on base and 0-for-4 with RISP. Again, they failed to capitalize on another late rally, as Rays reliever Sergio Romo collected a save in the 3-2 Tampa win.

On a positive note, Gleyber Torres returned from the DL in time to play in Wednesday’s game. His bat and defense are much-needed boosts to the Yanks. He’s already exceeded high expectations and going forward; he’ll continue to play a vital role on the team.

The Yankees continue the road trip with a four-game series versus the Kansas City Royals, one of the worst teams in baseball. It is imperative that the Yankees win all four of these games, as they are 14-14 in their last 28 games.

The Yanks will continue to fall in the division race if they’re unable to win series and sweep teams with poor or losing records.

Sonny Gray (7-7, 5.34 ERA) gets the nod in the opener against Jakob Junis (5-10, 5.03 ERA). C.C. Sabathia (6-4, 3.51 ERA) will face Brad Keller (3-4, 3.20 ERA) in Game 2. Luis Severino (14-3, 2.63 ERA) looks to bounce back in Game 3 against Heath Fillmyer (0-1, 2.82 ERA). Masahiro Tanaka (8-2, 4.09 ERA) will hope for another stellar outing in the series finale against Burch Smith (1-1, 5.58 ERA).

A strong series against the Royals would help boost the Yankees’ confidence in the midst of a less-than-ideal stretch. Following this series, they’ll return to the Bronx for a two-game set versus the Orioles.