Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka delivers a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays during the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium on September 5, 2016. “So we need to win 11 games”.
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Though they collected eight hits, they stranded 11 runners and went hitless in eight at-bats with runners in scoring position.
With only 11 games left in the year, the Yankees are 2.5 games out of the second wild card spot.
Luis Severino gave up a hit and struck out three in two innings after relieving Cessa.
NY outhit the Rays 8-7 but left 11 men on base, including five in the first three innings.
Every time you think the New York Yankees have been eliminated from postseason contention, they find a way to put themselves back into the conversation.
The Yankees opened the game with back-to-back singles from Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury, but Snell got red-hot rookie Gary Sanchez and Billy Butler on strikeouts, and got Mark Teixeira popped out to first to end the inning. “I’m not going to make too much out of this”.
Rays rookie lefthander Blake Snell (6-8) allowed five hits over five innings, holding the Yankees to 0-for-7 with RISP, 0-for-6 in the first three innings. Unlike the Yankees, the Rays cashed in, getting a one-out RBI single by Brad Miller to take an early lead. Girardi said Hicks lost sight of the ball off the bat.
After hitting a home run in four consecutive games, including two at Tropicana Field on Wednesday, Sanchez became the quickest player in Major League Baseball history to his 19th career home run, doing so in just his 45th big league game.
The rookie catcher gunned down two Rays at second base, one a Kevin Kiermaier stolen base attempt in the third – thanks to a successful replay challenge – and the other on a pickoff of Curt Casali, who doubled to lead off the fourth.
Sanchez went 0 for 2 but walked twice.
“That’s how it feels now and it’s unfortunate, ” Girardi said of a missed opportunity to complete the Yanks’ first road sweep of an AL East opponent since last May at Boston.
NY rookies, including Sanchez, were given blue Yankees’ one-sie pyjamas to wear for the flight from Florida to Toronto, where a four-game series with the Blue Jays starts Friday night.
According to a report by Meredith Marakovits of YES Network, Masahiro Tanaka has been scratched from his scheduled start on Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays with a slight flexor mass strain.
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Rays: LHP Xavier Cedeno (neck) won’t play again this season.
