The Yankees fought hard in each of their 4 games against the Tampa Bay Rays, which is a good sign. But they only won 2 of them, and that's got to improve.
Clarke Schmidt was announced as the starting pitcher for yesterday's series finale, and, once I learned that, I was 99 percent sure the Yankees would fall behind early, and 90 percent sure they would lose.
He allowed 3 runs in the 1st 3 innings. But the Yankees struck back with 4 in the bottom of the 3rd, including home runs by Oswaldo Cabrera and Anthony Rizzo, both of whom seriously stepped up in this series.
But Schmidt got knocked out of the box in the 5th. By the time Albert Abreu put the fire out, it was 8-4 Rays.
Three straight singles by Cabrera, Gleyber Torres and Judge got the Yankees a run closer in the 7th. In the 8th, DJ LeMahieu singled and Anthony Volpe hit a home run to get them within 1 run. The sense of needing to fight was there. But with the Yankees down to their last out, a long drive by Judge fell just a little short.
Rays 8, Yankees 7. WP: Zach Eflin (5-1). SV: Jason Adam (5). LP: Schmidt (1-4).
The Yankees end the series where they began, 8 games behind the Rays in the American League Eastern Division. There's a long way to go, and it feels like the capability of fighting is there. It's a question of desire. Of seeing it through. Of guts.
When the Yankees fight, they usually win. If they score 4 or more runs, they are 19-5; if they don't, they are 4-15. Take out games against the Rays, and they are 17-2 and 3-14. So, despite having scored 24 runs in this series, it really isn't an outlier against their overall record.
The Rays are not the Yankees' problem. The Yankees, themselves, are. For all the big hits in this series, they've still got to be better. They're not hopeless, and they know this. But desire still has to be converted into action.
They now go on the road, and begin a series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Jimmy Cordero -- another "hole in the rotation" start -- pitches against Alek Manoah.
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