Tampa Bay @ New York preview
Yankee Stadium
Last Meeting ( Apr 11, 2010 ) NY Yankees 7, Tampa Bay 3
Baseball fans will have to wait another two days to get their interleague fix. In the meantime, they’ll be treated to one of the marquee matchups of the season.
The Tampa Bay Rays bring the best record in the majors into the Bronx for a two-game series with the defending champion New York Yankees. It’s the second meeting of the season between the teams, after New York took two of three in St. Petersburg during the first week of the season.
It’s the biggest pre-interleague showdown on the schedule, featuring two teams who sport a combined 53-25 record and are threatening to make the American League East a two-team race. The Rays are off to the best start in franchise history, while the Yankees own the second-best record in the majors.
Making the Rays’ fast start even more impressive is that they’ve accomplished it despite having two of their big bats languishing in season-long slumps. Carlos Pena is batting just .185 and has gone 17 games without an RBI, while B.J. Upton is hitting .215 and has driven in just three runs over the same stretch.
Fortunately for Tampa, there’s Evan Almighty.
Third baseman Evan Longoria has been one of the league’s early MVP candidates, batting .313 with nine home runs and 32 RBIs. He has fared well against New York pitching in his brief career, with eight home runs and 19 RBIs in 32 career games against the Yankees.
The Yankees are coming off a split of their two-game series with the rival Boston Red Sox in which each team’s closer took a rare loss. Boston’s Jonathan Papelbon was shelled for four runs in New York’s 11-9 win Monday, while Mariano Rivera surrendered a two-run double as the Yankees fell 7-6 on Tuesday.
Like most seasons, the Yankees are making their home park a difficult place to play. They’re 13-4 at the new Yankee Stadium after leading the majors with 57 home victories last season.
Of course, that might not matter to the Rays, who are a league-best 15-4 on the road.
Tampa sends Wade Davis (3-3) to the mound in the opener. The second-year hurler has lost two straight starts and was beaten soundly by the Yankees earlier in the year, allowing four runs in six innings of a 10-0 rout.
The Yankees counter with fireballer A.J. Burnett (4-1), who has regressed following a hot start. Boasting a 1.99 ERA on May 4, Burnett has allowed 10 earned runs in 11 innings over his past two outings, with seven walks and eight strikeouts.
Following the rare mini-series, both teams get their first taste of National League action. The Rays visit the Houston Astros while the Yankees and Mets tangle at Citi Field in the latest edition of the Subway Series.