Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Recap: Yankees 4, Rays 1

Adam Warren tossed 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball and the Yankees pitched their way past the Rays, 4-1, on Monday night at Yankee Stadium.

Warren's Smooth Start: With the exception of two wild pitches in the sixth that contributed to the Rays' only run of the evening, Warren was great for the Yankees in this one -- solidly recording six strikeouts while allowing just five hits. He escaped a second-and-third jam in the first with a punch-out of Evan Longoria and a groundout from James Loney -- impressively striking out the side later in the second. 

Working the Count: Due to a similarly nice outing by the Rays' Nathan Karns, the contest remained scoreless into the bottom of the fifth -- when the Yankees finally threatened against Karns with a couple of walks and a single. New York indeed had the bases-loaded when Brandon Gomes issued yet another base on balls to Brett Gardner, giving the Yankees their first run and with it their first lead. 

McCann Can: Batting with one out and the game even at one in the sixth, Brian McCann crushed the go-ahead solo homer off Gomes to the right-field upper-deck -- McCann's second four-bagger of the season and first since April 12. It was a no-doubter on an 0-1 fastball that McCann stopped to admire for a moment, the catcher apparently realizing it was gone off the bat.

Insurance: Shortly after McCann's blast, the Yankees' offense crossed home again on a pair of doubles by Carlos Beltran and Stephen Drew -- stretching their advantage to 3-1 with their dominant bullpen ready to enter. Beltran's knock ended an 0-for-14 skid for the veteran, who is now hitting .167 on the year.

Wilson Helps Warren: Justin Wilson likely hasn't performed to his potential so far in 2015, but at least in this victory, the lefty looked sharp. Wilson fanned the aforementioned Loney to strand a runner at second in the sixth, keeping the Rays in check and ultimately setting Andrew Miller up for the save.

Next Up: The Yankees will try to win this series early when they face the Rays again on Tuesday -- beginning at 7:05 p.m. ET and airing live on MLB Network. Triple-A prospect Chase Whitley (2-0, 2.12 ERA in the minors) will make his first major-league start of 2015 in relief of the regular rotation, opposing Tampa Bay's Jake Odorizzi (2-1, 1.65 ERA).

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)