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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Any thoughts about sustaining momentum from Monday’s stirring Yankees victory were gone with the wind on Tuesday night.
Seventeen more whiffs will do that.
Monday’s hero with two home runs, Jose Caballero struck out four times – as did Paul Goldschmidt, now hitless in his last 30 at-bats.
Over two games against the first-place Rays at Tropicana Field, the second-place Yankees have fanned 34 times in 69 total plate appearances.
“Tonight, especially, was terrible,’’ Goldschmidt said of his night personally, stranding four baserunners in the Rays’ 6-4 win. “I like to be more positive than that. Just a bad performance.’’
This was hardly all on Goldschmidt, as the Yanks fell back to four games behind the AL East leaders.
Will Warren lasted just four innings and gave up a season-high three homers in a start, Caballero went from bat-flipping homers to bat-twirling strikeouts, and even Cody Bellinger made a baserunning blunder that short-circuited a rally.
At least, the Yanks have somehow split the first two of this four-game set (getting three hits, all homers, in Monday’s win) and they’ve got Gerrit Cole starting Wednesday.
But the Rays have starters Shane McLanahan and Drew Rasmussen on tap for Wednesday and Thursday, at a time when the Yanks’ batters are air-conditioning the Trop.
“I’m confident in our approach,’’ said manager Aaron Boone, and “being a tough out and being situational’’ occurs when they’re firing as a lineup.
But that hasn’t happened much since mid-June, shortly after Aaron Judge (rib fracture) went on the injured list, and without the balancing presence of Giancarlo Stanton (calf strain).
Who knows when either will return to the lineup, though the Yankees feel both will be back at some point in the regular season.
Of course, the Rays have an opportunity to stretch their AL East lead and clinch the season series; they’ve won five of seven against the Yanks with six games remaining.
A trio of Yanks reliever held the Rays in check after Warren was tagged for six runs, including back-to-back homers by No. 9 hitter Hunter Feduccia and Yandy Diaz in a four-run fourth.
Ben Rice (3-for-4) homered for a second straight night, a go-ahead three-run shot in the third off lefty starter Ian Seymour, who struck out 12 Yanks – a day after another converted Rays reliever, Griffin Jax, fanned 10.
"Yeah, that’s a lot of strikeouts,'' said Bellinger. "Didn’t feel we had that many today.''
Still, “we might have been one swing away from winning (Tuesday’s) game, so that was a better job tonight,’’ Goldschmidt said as the Yanks out-hit Tampa Bay, 11-8.
They also didn’t draw a walk and “as a whole, we’ve got to be better,’’ Boone said. “Tonight, I felt for the first time in a while, we gave ourselves some real opportunities.’’
One of those chances went away in the sixth, when Bellinger singled, pushing Ryan McMahon (pinch-hit single) to third with one out.
But the high relay throw from right field to third base sort of froze Bellinger, who “wasn’t committed right away’’ to advancing another base.
By the time he retreated to first, it was too late.
Instead of runners at the corners and one out, the Yanks had two out, with a runner at third in a 6-3 game.
“Definitely something that should never happen, especially late in the game, with Caballero (due up),’’ said Bellinger. “That was a bad mistake and really unacceptable.’’
Goldschmidt felt similarly disappointed by his at-bats lately.
“Wish I had a simple answer. I haven’t done too much well,’’ Goldschmidt said. “Probably swung at too many balls, taking strikes.
“And when I do swing at the right pitch, I’m fouling it off or swinging and missing.’’
Having played at a near All-Star level into mid-June, the veteran first baseman said he’d “be ready to go’’ Wednesday, “but there’s no excuses. I have not played well.’’
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Yankees whiff at a chance to build momentum against Rays
Continue reading...
Seventeen more whiffs will do that.
Monday’s hero with two home runs, Jose Caballero struck out four times – as did Paul Goldschmidt, now hitless in his last 30 at-bats.
Over two games against the first-place Rays at Tropicana Field, the second-place Yankees have fanned 34 times in 69 total plate appearances.
“Tonight, especially, was terrible,’’ Goldschmidt said of his night personally, stranding four baserunners in the Rays’ 6-4 win. “I like to be more positive than that. Just a bad performance.’’
Yankees' strikeouts pile up
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This was hardly all on Goldschmidt, as the Yanks fell back to four games behind the AL East leaders.
Will Warren lasted just four innings and gave up a season-high three homers in a start, Caballero went from bat-flipping homers to bat-twirling strikeouts, and even Cody Bellinger made a baserunning blunder that short-circuited a rally.
At least, the Yanks have somehow split the first two of this four-game set (getting three hits, all homers, in Monday’s win) and they’ve got Gerrit Cole starting Wednesday.
But the Rays have starters Shane McLanahan and Drew Rasmussen on tap for Wednesday and Thursday, at a time when the Yanks’ batters are air-conditioning the Trop.
“I’m confident in our approach,’’ said manager Aaron Boone, and “being a tough out and being situational’’ occurs when they’re firing as a lineup.
But that hasn’t happened much since mid-June, shortly after Aaron Judge (rib fracture) went on the injured list, and without the balancing presence of Giancarlo Stanton (calf strain).
Who knows when either will return to the lineup, though the Yankees feel both will be back at some point in the regular season.
Of course, the Rays have an opportunity to stretch their AL East lead and clinch the season series; they’ve won five of seven against the Yanks with six games remaining.
Paul Goldschmidt is 0-for-30
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A trio of Yanks reliever held the Rays in check after Warren was tagged for six runs, including back-to-back homers by No. 9 hitter Hunter Feduccia and Yandy Diaz in a four-run fourth.
Ben Rice (3-for-4) homered for a second straight night, a go-ahead three-run shot in the third off lefty starter Ian Seymour, who struck out 12 Yanks – a day after another converted Rays reliever, Griffin Jax, fanned 10.
"Yeah, that’s a lot of strikeouts,'' said Bellinger. "Didn’t feel we had that many today.''
Still, “we might have been one swing away from winning (Tuesday’s) game, so that was a better job tonight,’’ Goldschmidt said as the Yanks out-hit Tampa Bay, 11-8.
They also didn’t draw a walk and “as a whole, we’ve got to be better,’’ Boone said. “Tonight, I felt for the first time in a while, we gave ourselves some real opportunities.’’
One of those chances went away in the sixth, when Bellinger singled, pushing Ryan McMahon (pinch-hit single) to third with one out.
But the high relay throw from right field to third base sort of froze Bellinger, who “wasn’t committed right away’’ to advancing another base.
By the time he retreated to first, it was too late.
Instead of runners at the corners and one out, the Yanks had two out, with a runner at third in a 6-3 game.
“Definitely something that should never happen, especially late in the game, with Caballero (due up),’’ said Bellinger. “That was a bad mistake and really unacceptable.’’
Goldschmidt felt similarly disappointed by his at-bats lately.
“Wish I had a simple answer. I haven’t done too much well,’’ Goldschmidt said. “Probably swung at too many balls, taking strikes.
“And when I do swing at the right pitch, I’m fouling it off or swinging and missing.’’
Having played at a near All-Star level into mid-June, the veteran first baseman said he’d “be ready to go’’ Wednesday, “but there’s no excuses. I have not played well.’’
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Yankees whiff at a chance to build momentum against Rays
Continue reading...
