Tampa Bay (70-74), though, scored four unanswered runs Tuesday in a 6-3 victory, keeping New York three games behind Toronto, which fell 3-2 at Atlanta.
Advertisement
The Yankees will again try to get the best of Odorizzi (7-8, 3.21 ERA), who has a 5.68 ERA while losing all three starts against them in 2015.
The Yankees believe the bruise happened on A-Rod’s slide into home plate on Sunday, but the issue hasn’t kept him out of the lineup.
Rookie Greg Bird gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead in the fourth with his sixth homer. Alas, that fizzled when Didi Gregorius broke from third on a routine comebacker and was easily thrown out at home by the pitcher.
“Do you agree that Monday’s win was the biggest of the season for the Yankees?”
The Yankees rallied in the ninth.
A win to close a four-game series against the Blue Jays and another to open this set versus the Rays helped momentarily soften the blow of five straight losses for the Yankees (79-65).
Rodriguez didn’t have any other hits in the game, but he did later draw a walk and come around to score.
The impression left was that of a game entrusted to players who haven’t earned that trust yet and, rather predictably, given away.
Strictly a DH outside of two April starts in the field and two times in May when he moved into the field after starting at DH, there is no way the Rodriguez can play first or third, and manager Joe Girardi said he would not take that chance with Rodriguez because his bat is simply too valuable to lose to an injury.
Heathcott, who credits his born-again Christianity for his sobriety, was expected to being contributing to the Yankees this year, but suffered a quad strain just six games into his first call-up in May. He even rested his big arms with precisely that in mind. “The only way I was going to use him is if we were tied or ahead”. “Guys that can do a number of different things”.
The Yankees have lost six of eight.
But the Yankees, beaten up over the weekend by the AL East-leading Blue Jays, could be excused for their enthusiasm, which was warranted. This side trip to Tampa was supposed to be the easy part of the road trip, three gimmes against a team playing out the string.
Slade Heathcott stole the show in the end, but last night’s most significant development just might have been the performance of CC Sabathia.
“He’s an unbelievable center fielder”, Girardi said. The Yankees got the force out at second, but they couldn’t double up Kiermaier. “I relied on that really heavy”, Odorizzi said. “It’s tough that we couldn’t hold them down”.
Rodriguez had an MRI earlier in the day and was also examined by team orthopedist Daniel Murphy.
Advertisement
Finally in the 7th, Dustin Ackley and Jacoby Ellsbury registered hits to get the Yankees in position, while Alex Rodriguez smacked a single to get the Yankees on the board. It was A-Rod’s sixth home run of September, his team-high 32nd for the season.
