The Yankees couldn’t have asked for a sweeter gift from Brett Gardner, whose ninth-inning solo HR propelled them to one of those ideal Saturday afternoon wins that sent everyone home slightly woozy.
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The Yankees (7-10) won two of three games in the series but finished the nine-game homestand 3-6.
Tampa Bay Rays’ Steven Souza Jr. hits a two-run home run during the first inning of a baseball g …
A win would have been nice for Snell, but the Rays bullpen couldn’t hold the 2-1 lead that he left with.
Ellsbury’s swing loaded the bases in the seventh inning with the score tied 2-2.
All five runs the left-hander allowed in those starts came via home runs. They face the Texas Rangers next with Cole Hamels looming over them. Snell allowed one run, caused by a wild pitch in the first inning; two hits, one walk, and he struck out six.
Gardner said it was kind of weird.
“You can see why there is so much buzz about him”, Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner said to the media. I thought he really handled it well. “Hopefully you got a good enough jump and hopefully you’re fast enough to beat the ball across the plate”.
Ellsbury just went for it.
Friday seemed to be the day for ridiculous plays in baseball.
“That gave us an opportunity”, manager Joe Girardi said. It’s exciting. You run down the line.
Tanaka allowed two earned runs for the third straight outing on Sunday, but walked away with his first decision of the season.
The Yankees had seen this before from Ellsbury – in 2009 with Boston, he pulled off a straight steal of home against Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte. Prior to injuring his shoulder Friday night, Hicks was being used against southpaws. He received a shot today.
“Took a deep breath”, Snell said. “Do we go four or five days short or do we do something?” Souza’s opposite-field drive to right in the fifth gave him his second career multihomer game – both this month. Brian McCann hit an early two-run homer, then sliced a tiebreaking single in the sixth as the Yankees ended a three-game losing skid.
“The anxiety and excitement of making your first major-league start, I think everybody has that, but where the start is I really don’t think that will be a factor”, Cash said. That pitch pushed the count on Alex Rodriguez, one of the Seattle-native Snell’s childhood idols, to 2-2.
The Yankees offense was pretty quiet throughout the day, scoring their one run in the fourth inning.
The Rays tacked on another run in the fourth when Guyer drove in Forsythe following his double.
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Drew Smyly delivers during the first inning of a baseball game again … “Don’t read into that”, Girardi said. But the big fella snuck a sinking fastball past him to get the second out. “It was definitely a risky play on their part and if I would have executed a little better, we would have had an out right there”.
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“I love going the other way, so anytime I drive the ball the other way, that’s my game plan”, Souza said. After his performance on Saturday, there are sure to be many who are clamoring for that moment to be now. “I didn’t feel as anxious out there”.
