Yankees Split 4-Game Series with Rays

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays Series Recap

April 17th: Yankees 10 Rays 2; Click here for Game 1 Recap

April 18th: Yankees 5 Rays 11; Click here for Game 2 Recap

April 19th: Yankees 1 Rays 16

April 20th: Yankees 5 Rays 1

The New York Yankees were able to head down to Tampa Bay in a four-game series against the Rays, and leave with a split despite giving up double-digit runs in two of the games. They will are now (11-8) on the season, which is good enough to be on top of the AL East.

Positives:

 In two of the four games the Yankees got really good starts from their Starting Pitchers, as C.C Sabathia and Vidal Nuno both turned in good outings. In Sabathia’s start the Yankees were able to grab the victory for him, which was his second of the season after seven strong innings allowing just two runs, only one of which was earned. Nuno didn’t have the same luck, as he left the game after five shutout innings, but had the bullpen blow the one-run lead he left with in the seventh inning.

Alfonso Soriano was the Yankees best hitter in the four games against the Rays, as he went seven for 16 at plate with one homerun, three RBIs, four runs scored, and two runs scored.

On Sunday the Yankees got to see the return of Mark Teixeira, who has missed most of the season, but was able to rejoin the team and have a pretty good first game back, which is important for a weak Yankees infield. Teixeira went two for six in the 12 inning game on Sunday.

Negatives:

bleacherreport.com

In the Yankees rough loss on Saturday against the Rays they may have suffered a major blow to the starting rotation, as Ivan Nova left the game in the fifth inning with pain in the elbow, and placed on the disabled list very quickly after. The MRI after the game showed that Nova had a partially torn UCL, which usually requires Tommy John surgery. The typical recover time for such a procedure is 12-18 months. Nova will be looked at again in New York, but it certainly doesn’t look good for the Yankees young Starter.

Rivera Says Goodbye to Yankees Stadium

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By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

September 26^th, 2013

Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees Post Game Recap

Final Score: Rays 4 Yankees 0

The New York Yankees lost their final home game of the season to the Tampa Bay Rays, as the Rays were able to sweep the Yankees. The loss moves the Yankees to (82-77) on the season, with three games left to play.

Rays Starter Alex Cobb gave his team a great start, as they inch closer to a playoff berth, and Cobb picked up his 11^th win of the season. Cobb would go seven innings allowing zero runs, and only allowing three hits and two walks. The Yankees would finally get something going against Cobb in the eighth inning with a Curtis Granderson double, followed by a base-hit from Lyle Overbay, but Joel Peralta came on and struckout the next two batters, and then got J.R. Murphy to fly out to end the Yankees threat.

Yankees Get Swept in Boston

washingtonpost.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

September 15^th, 2013

New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox Post Game Recap

Final Score: Yankees 2 Red Sox 9

The New York Yankees suffered a very bad sweep at the hands of the Boston Red Sox on Sunday Night Baseball, as they got blown out in the final game of the season against Boston. The loss moves the Yankees to (79-71) on the season, and are now three games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the final Wild Card spot.

Red Sox Starter Clay Buchholz having his best season of his career, kept that going against the Yankees on Sunday night, as he earned his 11^th win of the season. The Yankees only got one run off of Buchholz, as in the first inning a error by Buchholz allowed Granderson to Third Base, and then he was knocked in with an RBI ground out by Rodriguez. Buchholz finished going six innings allowing just the one unearned run on two hits and four walks.

Soriano Blasts Yankees Past Orioles

nytimes.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

September 10^th, 2013

New York Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles Post Game Recap

Final Score: Yankees 7 Orioles 5

The New York Yankees were able to bounce back from a loss on Monday against the Baltimore Orioles with a come from behind win on Tuesday night. The win moves the Yankees to (77-68) on the season, which is two games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the final Wild Card spot.

Miguel Gonzalez got the start for the Orioles in Game 2 of the four-game series, and although despite pitching much better than his previous start against the Yankees he didn’t factor in the decision of this game. Alex Rodriguez got to Gonzalez first breaking a scoreless game up in the third inning with a RBI double that scored Chris Stewart. In the sixth inning the Yankees would show off their power, as Alfonso Soriano hit a solo-home run, which was his 14^th home run since joining the Yankees. Mark Reynolds would follow in Soriano's footsteps a few batters later with a solo-home run of his own, which was his 18^th of the year. Gonzalez finished going six innings allowing three runs on six hits, while striking out six batters, and leaving the game in position to earn the win.

Yankees Unable to Complete Come From Behind Victory

cbssports.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

September 5^th, 2013

Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees Post Game Recap

Final Score: Red Sox 9 Yankees 8

The New York Yankees were unable to start their series off against the Boston Red Sox on a good note, as they lost in extra-innings. The loss moves the Yankees to (75-65), but with the Tampa Bay Rays losing as well, the Yankees stayed 2.5 games behind them in the Wild Card standings.

Ivan Nova, who was coming off a complete game shutout,but wasn’t very sharp in this game. In the third inning the Red Sox would piece together a few hits, as Jacoby Ellsbury hit a double that scored Ryan Lavarnway, and then Shane Victorino had a RBI ground out that scored Will Middlebrooks. Middlebrooks in the fourth inning would hit a solo-home run off Nova, which was his 13^th home run of the season. Nova went just four innings allowing three runs on five hits, and two walks on 96 pitches.

Ivan Nova Pitches a Gem Against Orioles

yanksgoyard.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

August 31^st, 2013

Baltimore Orioles vs New York Yankees Post Game Recap

Final Score: Orioles 0 Yankees 2

The New York Yankees were able to pick up their second straight win and win the series against the Orioles at home behind a great start from Ivan Nova. The win moves the Yankees to (72-63), which is four games behind the two Wild Card spots in the American League.

For the Yankees in this win it was all about Ivan Nova, who was sensational on Saturday afternoon, while earning his eighth win of the season. Nova threw a complete game shutout, as he only allowed three hits and one walk, while striking out five. The scariest moment of the game for Nova came in the ninth inning with a runner on, as Chris Davis hit a fly ball to the warning track in Right Field, but luckily the hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium held it in.

Yankees Avoid Being Swept in Tampa Bay

stamfordadvocate.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

August 25th, 2013

New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays Post Game Recap

Final Score: Yankees 3 Rays 2

The New York Yankees were able to avoid the sweep on Sunday, by beating the Tampa Bay Rays in extra-innings. The win moves the Yankees to (69-61) on the season, which is seven games behind the AL East leading Red Sox, and 3.5 games behind the two Wild Card spots.

Ivan Nova wasn’t at his best, but was able to battle and get a few big double plays to avoid any real damage, and turn in a good start for the Yankees. Evan Longoria had Nova’s number in this game, as he was responsible for both Rays runs. In the first inning Longoria had a RBI single that scored David DeJesus, and then in the sixth inning Longoria hit a solo-home run, which was his 28th of the season, and it was his third home run of the weekend series. Nova finished going 6.2 innings allowing just two runs on six hits and six walks in the no decision.

Yankees Score 8 Unanswered in Game 1 Victory

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

August 20^th, 2013

Toronto Blue Jays vs New York Yankees Post Game Recap Game 1

Final Score: Blue Jays 4 Yankees 8

The New York Yankees were able to start their four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays on a positive note, as they scored eight unanswered runs to take Game 1 of the double-header. The win moves the Yankees to (65-59), which is 7.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East, and six behind the two Wild Card spots.

Blue Jays Starter Esmil Rodgers once again didn’t look to good, but his bullpen also let him down a bit, as his struggles continued on Tuesday afternoon against a better Yankees lineup. Rodgers picked up his eighth loss of the season, as he went five innings allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks. The big blow off Rodgers came in the third inning, when Robinson Cano hit his 200^th career home run, which was a three-run home run. The final run that was charged to Rodgers was allowed by Neil Wagner, who struggled out of the bullpen, by allowing a walk to Jayson Nix, who was followed by Chris Stewart, and Stewart made Wagner pay by hitting a three-run home run for his fourth of the year.

Soriano's Monster Night Gets Yankees Victory

espn.go.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

August 14^th, 2013

Los Angeles Angels vs New York Yankees Post Game Recap

Final Score: Angels 3 Yankees 11

The New York Yankees were able to pull off their fourth straight win on Wednesday night, which guarantees them a series win against the Angels even if they lose on Thursday. The win moves the Yankees to (62-57) and they are now five games behind the Rays and Athletics for the two Wild Card spots, as they keep inching closer and closer to the teams ahead of them.

The Yankees offense has certainly come alive of late, and that continued against one of the better Pitchers in the MLB in Jered Weaver, who was handed his sixth loss of the season on Wednesday. Alfonso Soriano has been on fire lately, and in the first inning he gave the Yankees a nice lead with a Grand Slam off Weaver for his sixth home run since putting the pinstripes back on. In the second inning the Yankees would tack on four more runs essentially ending the game, as Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson both had RBI singles, and then none other than Soriano would hit a two-run double, which gave him six RBIs in the first two innings. In the fifth inning Soriano would strike again off Weaver, this time being a solo-home run. Weaver finished the game going five innings allowing nine runs on nine hits, three walks, and he saw his ERA go up to 3.49.

W2W4: Los Angeles Angels vs New York Yankees

losangeles.cbslocal.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

W2W4: Los Angeles Angels vs New York Yankees

August 12-15^th

The New York Yankees will be continuing their home-stand after an impressive series win against the then red hot Detroit Tigers, and now after taking two out of three games against them, the Yankees will be hosting the Los Angeles Angels, who will be coming into the Bronx 10 games under .500.

- Pitching Match-Ups

The four-game series will kick off with the pitching match-up of Hiroki Kuroda (10-7, 2.45) will be facing Garrett Richards (3-4, 4.20), which on paper looks to be a great chance for the Yankees to win. In Game 2 it is undecided right now who will be getting the ball for the Angels, but for the Yankees it will be C.C. Sabathia (9-10, 4.73), who looked better in his last start against the Chicago White Sox. Game 3 is probably the best match-up of the series, as Ivan Nova (5-4, 2.93) will be facing Jered Weaver (7-5, 2.87). In the finale of the series the Angels will send C.J. Wilson (12-6, 3.49) to the mound against the struggling Phil Hughes (4-11, 4.99).

W2W4: Detroit Tigers vs New York Yankees

nydailynews.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

August 9-11^th, 2013

W2W4: Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees

The New York Yankees will be heading back home to start a weekend series against the Detroit Tigers on Friday night, licking their wounds a bit from being swept in Chicago by the White Sox. Entering the series, the Yankees are (57-56) on the season, and a losing series against the Tigers would move the Yankees to either .500 or below

- Pitching Match-Ups

Opening the Series on Friday night for the Yankees will be one of their better Pitchers of late in Ivan Nova (5-4, 3.08), and he will be facing a Pitcher who has also been throwing the ball well lately in Rick Porcello (8-6, 4.28). In Game 2 the Yankees will have the tough task of facing Anibal Sanchez (9-7, 2.58), and he will be facing the struggling Phil Hughes (4-10, 4.87). Game 3 on paper also looks to be a tough one for the Yankees, as Andy Pettitte (7-9, 4.71) will be facing former Cy Young and MVP, Justin Verlander (12-8, 3.62).

- Cheer or Boo

Yankees Third Baseman Alex Rodriguez will be making his home debut, and the big question is how will Yankees fans react to him being back in pinstripes. Rodriguez had a pretty good series in Chicago, as he went three for 11 with two walks. He didn’t look to rusty, but to think that Rodriguez is going to be the power hitter that he once was seems very unlikely at this point.

- Snap the Streak

The Tigers are the hottest team in baseball right now coming into the Bronx riding a 12-game winning streak. Most impressively for the Tigers was their most recent series in Cleveland against the Indians, as Detroit swept them on the road, which helped them extend their division lead.

- Not Looking Good

As it's is always for the Yankees their goal is to make the playoffs, but this year they are just one game over .500, and after being swept by a bad team in Chicago, the Yankees need to start winning or their playoff hopes will be over soon. The division seems impossible for the Yankees to get, as they are now 11 games back of the Boston Red Sox. The two Wild Card spots in the AL are still very much within grasp for the Yankees, as they are just seven games back, but with a lot of teams in front of them.

Yankees Bounce Back Behind Strong Start From Nova

nydailynews.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

August 3^rd, 2013

New York Yankees vs San Diego Padres Post Game Recap

Final Score: Yankees 3 Padres 0

The New York Yankees were able to bounce back in the second game of the series against the San Diego Padres on Saturday night, with a shutout victory. The win moves the Yankees to (57-52), but they were unable to gain any ground in the AL East, as they still sit 8.5 games behind the first place Boston Red Sox.

After getting a horrible start from C.C. Sabathia on Friday night, Ivan Nova was exceptional on Saturday night, and picked up his fifth win of the season. Nova went seven shutout innings allowing only four hits, one walk, and struckout eight batters. With the good start Nova sees his ERA drop to 3.08, as he is quite possibly pitching better than ever right now.

W2W4: New York Yankees vs San Diego Padres

zimbio.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

W2W4: New York Yankees vs San Diego Padres Series Preview

August 2-4^th

After a split in Los Angeles against the Dodgers to start the New York Yankees eight-game road-trip, the Yankees will now be in San Diego to start a three-game series against the Padres. The Yankees are now (56-51), which is 8.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East, and this looks to be a winnable series on paper against the Padres, who are just (50-59).

- Pitching Match-Ups

In Game 1 of the series it will be the struggling C.C. Sabathia (9-9, 4.65), who has lost three of his last four starts, and has given up seven runs in each of his last two starts, facing Andrew Cashner (7-5, 3.88). In Game 2 Ivan Nova (4-4, 3.41) will be on the mound facing Tyson Ross (2-4, 2.90), who has won his last two starts, only allowing one run in 14 innings. In Game 3 the Yankees will be facing a familiar face in Ian Kennedy (3-8, 5.23), who will making his debut with the Padres against his former teammate Phil Hughes (4-9, 4.58).

Yankees Get Shutout in Texas

nytimes.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

July 22, 2013

New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers Post Game Recap

Final Score: Yankees 0 Rangers 3

The New York Yankees series against the Texas Rangers didn’t start very well on Monday night, as they were shutout in the loss. The loss to the Rangers moves the Yankees to (52-47) on the season, and is seven games behind the Boston Red Sox for first place in the AL East.

Ivan Nova gave the Yankees another good start, but with the Yankees anemic offense he got his third loss of the season. The Rangers offense gave Darvish a quick lead, which he never looked back after, as Adrian Beltre had a RBI single to score Ian Kinsler for the first run of the game. Geovany Soto would get the next run for the Rangers, by knocking in Elvis Andrus with a double in the sixth inning. In the seventh inning Nelson Cruz would get the final run of the game for the Rangers with a solo-home run, which was his 23rd of the season. Nova finished the day going seven innings allowing three runs on seven hits, one walk, and had three strikeouts. 

Yankees Offense Comes Alive to Snap Losing Streak

nydailynews.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

July 10^th, 2013

Kansas City Royals vs New York Yankees Post Game Recap

Final Score: Royals 1 Yankees 8

The New York Yankees offense finally woke up after three straight games of scoring just one run, which resulted in a three-game losing streak. The win moves the Yankees to (49-42) on the season, but are still in fourth place in the AL East, and six games behind the Boston Red Sox for first place.

Royals Starter Wade Davis got roughed up in this one, as he earned his eighth loss of the season. The Yankees first run of the game came on a wild pitch by Davis, which allowed Brett Gardner to score. Robinson Cano had a nice day at the plate going three for four, and in the third inning he took Davis deep for a three-run home run, which was his 21^st of the season. The big blow against Davis came in the sixth inning, when Lyle Overbay hit a Grand Slam to break the game wide open. For Overbay it was his 11^th home run of the season. Davis was pulled right after the Grand Slam from Overbay, as he went five innings allowing eight runs on six hits and three walks.

Phelps and Yankees Get Crushed in Baltimore

usatoday.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

June 29^th, 2013

New York Yankees vs Baltimore Orioles

Final Score: Yankees 3 Orioles 11

The New York Yankees suffered a blowout loss in Game 2 of their series in Baltimore against the Orioles, as they lost 11-3. The loss moves the Yankees to (42-38) on the season, as they are now on a four-game losing streak, and closer to last place than first place in the tough AL East.

This game got out of hand early for the Yankees, as David Phelps had a disastrous start, which led to his fifth loss of the season, and may have cost him his spot in the rotation. Phelps made it just 2.1 innings allowing nine runs on nine hits, and two walks. The Orioles wasted little time getting to Phelps, as Adam Jones got their first run of the game with an RBI single, which scored Manny Machado. After Jones, Chris Davis smacked a three-run homerun for his 29^th home run of the season, and made it a 4-0 game. Phelps pitched a scoreless second inning, but in the third the Orioles broke it open. Former Yankee Chris Dickerson had a two-run base hit with the bases loaded to make it 6-0, and then Ryan Flaherty hit a three-run home run, which was his sixth of the year, and ended Phelps' day early.

Yankees Lose to Rays on Old Timers Day

sbnation.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

June 23^rd, 2013

Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees Post Game Recap

Final Score: Rays 3 Yankees 1

On the always fun Old Timers Day in the Bronx, the New York Yankees were unable to get the win against the Tampa Bay Rays with so many Yankee greats in attendance. The 3-1 loss moves the Yankees to (41-34), which is still 2.5 games behind the AL leading Boston Red Sox.

Ivan Nova made his return to the Yankees, but despite pitching much better than he had, he picked up the loss which was his second of the year. Nova looked shaky early, as the Rays go on the board quickly in the first with a Ben Zobrist base hit that scored Matt Joyce. Nova would calm down and pitch extremely well until hitting back to back batters in the seventh inning with two outs. Shawn Kelley would come in for Nova, but he walked Evan Longoria to load the bases, and with a lefty in James Loney up Joe Girardi quickly pulled Kelley for Boone Logan. Loney would get the best of Logan however with a two out two run single, which ended up being all the Rays would need for the win.

Mets Offense Erupts in The Bronx

amazingavenue.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

May 29th, 2013

New York Mets vs. New York Yankees Post Game Recap

Final Score: Mets 9 Yankees 4

After two low scoring Mets wins in Citi Field, the Subway Series went back to the Bronx for Game 3, where the Mets offense erupted and took the third game, which ensures themselves victory in the Subway Series for 2013. The loss for the Yankees makes it their first four-game losing streak of the season, and on the other hand the Mets seem to have something going winning four straight games.

This game seemed to be over in the top of the first inning, as Yankees Starter David Phelps had the worst start of his career in a game the Yankees and their fans certainly wanted. Phelps got just one out in the first inning, while allowing five runs on four hits, and two walks before being pulled for Preston Claiborne. Phelps did get hit with a line drive in his last start, but said it wasn’t bothering him before the start; clearly something was not right for Phelps however on Wednesday night.

Yankees Come From Behind to Defeat Rays in Extra-Innings

nydailynews.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

May 25^th, 2013

New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays

Final Score: Yankees 4 Rays 3

The New York Yankees were able to take the second game of the series in Tampa Bay against the Rays with some late inning heroics, as they won in 11 innings. The win moves the Yankees to (30-18), and they still hold a one game lead over the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.

Vidal Nuno came thru for the Yankees with his second straight good start, but he did not factor in the decision. He pitched very well for most of the game, but seemed to tire down in the later innings, which led to Girardi pulling him. Nuno finished going six innings allowing just two runs on five hits, and one walk. Nuno has done as well as the Yankees could have hoped for in his two starts.

Yankees Defeat Rays, But Lose Granderson Again

espn.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

May 24^th, 2013

New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays

Final Score: Yankees 9 Rays 4

The New York Yankees were able to start their weekend series in Tropicana Field with a win Friday night over the Tampa Bay Rays behind a good offensive performance. The win moves the Yankees to (29-18) on the season, and they are still one game ahead of the Boston Red Sox.

Yankees Starter David Phelps has seemed to gain a stranglehold on the fifth spot in the rotation, as he picked up his third win of the season on Friday night. Phelps was cruising in the game until the sixth inning, but with an eight run lead the game was never in jeopardy for Phelps. He finished the game going 7.2 innings allowing four runs on on six hits, with three strikeouts. Ivan Nova was back with the Yankees, but instead of getting the start was sitting in the bullpen, so it would appear that Joe Girardi will be sticking with Phelps for the foreseeable future.