Yankees Get Shutout and Lose Series to Rays

nydailynews.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

April 24th, 2013

New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays Post Game Recap

Final Score: Yankees 0 Rays 3

The New York Yankees lost on Wednesday night to the Tampa Bay Rays, which is their first series loss in their last four. The offense had a lot of problems against the Rays, as the scoring problems the Yankees thought they would have with all the injuries came to light in this series.

Yankees Starter Andy Pettitte didn’t pitch badly, but with zero run support he picked up his first loss of the season. Pettitte went six innings allowing three runs, two of which were earned on seven hits, and one walk. Andy had the strikeout pitch working, as he was able to strikeout a season-high 10 batters. Pettitte even with the loss is still (3-1) with a 2.22 ERA, which is great.



Rays Starter Alex Cobb was fantastic in this game providing the Rays with the best start of the series. Cobb went 8.1 scoreless innings, while only allowing three hits, one walk, and struck-out seven batters. Fernando Rodney came in the ninth inning to get the final two batters out, and earn his third save of the season.

In a game with not a lot of offense from either team the Rays had the best two hitters on Wednesday night in Ben Zobrist and Sean Rodriguez. Zobrist broke up the scoreless game in the fifth inning with a two-run double, as he finished going two for four at the plate with two RBIs. Rodriguez got the Rays and insurance run in the sixth inning with a solo-homerun off Pettitte, and finished the game going two for three.

Manager Joe Girardi shook up the lineup a bit stacking lefties at the top of the order against Cobb, but didn’t see many results. The top four hitters for the Yankees were all lefties, but Brett Gardner, Ichiro Suzuki, Robinson Cano, and Travis Hafner went a combined two for 15, with a walk.

Defensively for the Yankees Shortstop Eduardo Nunez has shown a lot of improvement thus far filling in for Derek Jeter. That was very apparent on Wednesday, with Nunez making two spectacular plays including a Jeter-like jump throw deep in the hole.

Next up for the Yankees will be a trip back home to New York for a four game series with the Toronto Blue Jays, as Hiroki Kuroda (2-1, 2.35) will be facing Mark Buehrle (1-0, 5.37).