Thursday, September 17, 2015

Recap: Yankees 3, Rays 1

Luis Severino tossed 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball and the Yankees snuck past the Rays, 3-1, on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field.

Never Give In: Severino clawed his way to career win number four, holding the Rays to one earned run on six hits while walking one and striking out seven. The 21-year-old rookie -- who beat Tampa Bay for the second time in as many weeks -- ran into trouble in the second and fifth, but hunkered down with runners in scoring position as the hosts went 0-for-7 in such situations.

Doing Everything: First base sensation Greg Bird drove in two of the Yankees' runs, doubling home Carlos Beltran in the second before taking Andrew Bellatti deep to right in the ninth. In all, Bird plated four of New York's 10 runs in the series, his two homers bringing his total for the season to seven.

Clutch: Chase Headley blooped an RBI single to left with two on and two out in the sixth, increasing the Yankees' lead to 2-0 against Chris Archer. Headley had been hitless to that point in the contest, but following a lengthy battle that saw Archer's pitch count reach 108, was able to softly flare a slider to the opposite field.

Showing Off the Athleticism: Brian McCann ended the fifth with a diving catch in foul territory, retiring Evan Longoria with men on second and third. Severino originally looked like he might make the play -- he charged in from the mound and was near McCann when it happened -- but the catcher ultimately located the pop-up first and in doing so put a stop to the Rays' rally.

A Unique Escape: Dellin Betances walked three consecutive upon entering with two out in the seventh, but avoided any damage with a strikeout of James Loney. Betances was appearing for the first time since Sunday, and simply had no control over his knuckle curve until Loney came to the dish.

Next Up: The Yankees will have their final off-day of the regular season on Thursday, returning to action Friday with a crosstown visit to the Mets. Masahiro Tanaka (12-6, 3.40 ERA) will get the nod versus lefty Steven Matz (3-0, 1.88 ERA), beginning at 7:10 p.m. ET on YES and WFAN.

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