Yankees 8, Rays 3
Record: 56-41
Attendance: 40,401
There was a lot of speculation that the Rays's miracle win against the Yankees on Monday night behind Travis d'Arnaud's three homers might signal a change of direction in the Yankee-Ray rivalry this year. The Yankees used their signature win on Tuesday to disabuse Rays fans of any such hope.
The script was familiar. The Rays took a 3-2 lead into the eighth. Colin Poche walked the leadoff hitter (driving manager Kevin Cash a little crazier than usual considering how much he has preached about not walking the leadoff hitter)--and then after two outs, he served up a home run to Aaron Judge, putting the Yankees up 4-3.
It was still a manageable game at that point, but Poche proceeded to give up a single, double, and an intentional walk before grooving a ball to Didi Gregorius that ended up in the right center field bleachers. And there you have it, 8-3 New York. School yard bully C. C. Sabathia managed to provoke a near-brawl, but that was just an annoying side issue to the game the Rays let get out of hand in the eighth inning.
The fact is that the Rays have a good enough bullpen to compete with most of the league, but the Yankees present unique problems with their ability to hit for average, HRs, and runs scored. And there's no telling a single new bullpen arm can change that around. Maybe two could. And another big, reliable bat, good for long balls and RBIs would help give the Rays bigger leads going into the late innings.
There is reason for hope as the trade deadline of July 31 creeps up, but unless they are active in a significant way, the Rays will not be able to compete down the stretch when all the best teams will be turning on the afterburners. That's what the Rays need, a few more afterburners.
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