Yankees gets "Ray'ned" on

Pena Continues Yankees Pain

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10		R	H	E
Tampa Bay	0	0	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	1		4	9	0
NY Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0		3	9	1

For a while it seemed that the heavy rains that fell on the Bronx last night would wash away the bad play, the poor pitching, and the lack of timely hitting that have plagued the Yankees so far this season. In the bottom of the eighth, Mark Teixeira looked through the rain drops and delivered a game tying 3-run double. Then the umpires held up play for 28 minutes. When play resumed the Yankees reverted back to theirpre-rain form and lost to the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-3 in 10 innings.

Carlos Pena greeted reliever Phil Coke with a solo home run to start the 10th inning to give the Rays the lead back. It was Pena’s Major League leading 12th home run of the season. The Yankees had a chance against Rays’ closer Troy Percivial in the bottom of the 10th, but came up empty once again. Johnny Damon hit a one hop ground rule double to center and moved to third base on a wild pitch. That gave the Yankees two cracks with Teixeira and Hideki Matsui due up. But Percival retired Teixeira on a shallow fly to right and Matsui on a weak fly to left to extend the Yankees losing streak to four games.

A.J. Burnett gave the Yankees another solid performance, allowing three runs over six innings. The Rays led 1-0 entering the sixth when Burnett ran into further trouble. Pat Burrell started the inning with a walk and Gabe Gross followed with a single to right. Jason Bartlett bunted the runners over, enabling Aki Iwamura (sac fly) and Dioner Navarro (single) to bring both runners home for a 3-0 lead.

Rays’ starter Andy Sonnanstine cruised through most of the game. He escaped a two on, two out jam in the fourth when he got the suddenly slumping Robinson Cano to fly out to end the inning. The Yankees finally came alive in the eighth when Melky Cabrera reached on a one out single and moved to third on Jose Molina’s double. Dan Wheeler struck out Derek Jeter, but Howell walked Damon to load the bases and set up the show down with Teixeira. The first baseman broke his bat, but still managed to line the ball into the left field corner. Damon raced home from first base unabated to tie the score. After the rain delay Brian Shouse struck out Matsui to strand Teixeira.

Mariano Rivera gave up a lead off single to Navarro in the ninth, but then struck out the side to give the Yankees a chance to win it in regulation. Cano singled to start the bottom of the ninth and moved to second on Brett Gardner’s sac bunt. Reliever Joe Nelson walked Melky Cabrera, but got Ramiro Pena to ground out on a bang-bang play at first base. Replays showed that Pena was actually safe. Grant Balfour then retired Molina to send the game to extra innings.

Game Notes

Joe Girardi opened himself up to a world of second guessing by not using Rivera for a second inning and going with Coke instead.

Nick Swisher was ejected for arguing balls and strikes after striking out to end the seventh inning.

Derek Jeter has gone ice cold. He’s just 6-31 (.194) over his last 7 games.

Robinson Cano’s 9th inning single snapped an 0-15 skid.

The series concludes tonight when Andy Pettitte faces Jeff Niemann.