The Tampa Bay Rays were unable to come back after the New York Yankees struck early and pulled out a win over the club, by a final score of 5-4.
Game Recap
The Rays were in an early hole as they found themselves down 3-0 by the top of the sixth. Shane McClanahan took the hill in his 15th start of the year for the club and had a less than spectacular outing. He went the distance at six gritty innings and six strikeouts, but also gave up nine hits and three earned runs. This was on a DJ LeMahieu RBI single and a Gio Urshela two-run scoring double. On the flip side, Jordan Montgomery took the mound for the Bronx Bombers and had a good outing, going five innings. He gave up just five hits and didn’t allow a Ray to cross the plate, along with five strikeouts on 102 pitches.
Tampa Bay, however, was able to find better success against the Yankees’ bullpen as Brandon Lowe hit a two-run bomb off Chad Green in the bottom of the sixth. The New York-based club, however, matched the Rays’ performance against their relievers as Ryan LaMarre extended the lead on a solo dinger in the top of the eighth, putting the game at 4-2. In the bottom half of the inning, the Rays tied it thanks to a ground-rule double from Randy Arozarena. However, in the ninth, the Rays failed to break through as Nelson Cruz struck out to end the game and dropped the opener.
Hitting In The Clutch or Lack Thereof
Despite the recent wave of success for Tampa Bay, Tuesday’s loss to the Yankees demonstrated a lack of ability to hit in the clutch. The Rays had multiple opportunities to come back and tie it up or even take the lead, but failed. Now, while this may just be a single game, this demonstrates a serious problem for Tampa Bay; especially for their hopes of the postseason, as if they’re unable to hit in the clutch, their success won’t exist. They need to find that next gear, that spark in order to have clutch performances and pull out games like this, and if they’re able to do that, they certainly have a possibility of going far come playoff time.
What’s Next?
The Rays continue their series with the Yankees on Wednesday, with Michael Wacha taking the hill for Tampa Bay. Nestor Cortes will go for their opponents, as the Rays look to get back on track against their rivals.