Fourth & Final

It was the fourth game of the series, and final of the season, between the Yankees and Rays Thursday night. New York settled for a series split after dropping a 10-3 decision in the Bronx. The Rays’ seven run sixth inning overpowered the Bombers and trimmed Tampa to within a half-game of the division. The win also gave the wildcard-leading Rays a 10-8 season series edge against their AL East rivals. Yankee ace, C.C. Sabathia, allowed seven runs on ten hits while laboring through five innings. Sabathia was outdueled by Rays’ 18 game winner, David Price. Price yielded eight hits in six innings, limiting the Bombers to three runs while fanning seven.
Marcus Thames provided the Bombers with a 2-0 advantage with a second inning homerun, and the Yankees added a tally in the fifth on Nick Swisher’s single. Sabathia gave one run back in the third on Ben Zobrist’s single, before allowing a season high seven runs when the night was over. New York’s 3-1 lead vanished in the top of the sixth. Sabathia’s pitch count stood at 76 against the relentless Rays heading into the fateful frame. Carl Crawford helped rally the Rays with a single off Sabathia. Evan Longoria followed with a double to place runners in scoring position visiting Tampa. Rocco Baldelli plated Crawford with a soft grounder, and Willie Aybar pummeled the Yankee lefty with a base hit to tie the game. Kelly Shopach then walked to load the bases. Sean Rodriguez fought off a full count to draw a walk and bring in another Rays’ run against Sabathia. Joba Chamberlain, on his birthday, was summoned from the Bombers’ bullpen to replace the starter with Tampa ahead 4-3. B.J. Upton greeted Chamberlain by slugging a double off the reliever. Upton’s double increased Tampa’s lead to 6-3 as they batted around in the sixth. Crawford plated two more runs in the frame and finished the with three hits on the evening.
In the bottom half of the sixth, the Yankees threatened by loading the bases. Mark Teixeria tried to help the Bombers grab a few runs back, but Price got the All-star switch-hitter to fly out to end the inning. Javier Vazquez worked the New York seventh, matching a major league record by hitting three straight batters. Shoppach was pegged to force in a run before pinch-hit sensation, Dan Johnson, lofted a sacrifice fly for a 10-3 Rays’ lead. Vazquez regained control to finish off the Rays in the eighth and ninth, but the Yankee offense couldn’t string anything together against Tampa’s bullpen. Joe Girardi, New York skipper, pulled most of his starters by the final innings. New York has six games remaining against Boston, and three with Toronto. The Rays’ schedule is a lighter one and includes contests with Baltimore, Kansas City and Seattle. It appears the Rays have a leg up in the division race, but there are still nearly two weeks of baseball remaining on the season.

Parting Points: “Vitality shows not only in the ability to persist, but in the ability to start over.”- F. Scott Fitzgerald