New York @ Tampa Bay preview
Tropicana Field
Last Meeting ( Aug 17, 2022 ) Tampa Bay 7, NY Yankees 8
A month ago, a division title seemed like a mere formality for the New York Yankees and a distant dream for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Suddenly the division is hardly secure for the Yankees. The Rays get six chances in the next two weekends to create more pressure in the race, starting Friday night when the American League East foes get together for the opener of a three-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Yankees began last month with a 14 1/2-game lead over the third-place Rays. Now the lead is down to six games and second-place Tampa Bay has 33 games remaining while the Yankees have 31.
New York held a 15 1/2-game lead following its 12-5 win in Boston on July 8, but since then it is 18-29. The Yankees completed a 10-18 August by producing underwhelming results with a 3-4 record against the Oakland A's and Los Angeles Angels.
On Wednesday, the Yankees ended August by getting held to three hits in a 3-2 loss to the Angels, marking the 15th time since the break they scored two runs or fewer.
New York infielders Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa committed key errors in the sixth inning on Wednesday before Gerrit Cole allowed a go-ahead, three-run homer to Shohei Ohtani.
"So now we have to play better than we have," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "It's as simple as that. We've got to start racking up some wins. Whether the calendar has an eight or a nine or a 10 on it, we've got to get a little better."
Tampa Bay won two of three in New York from Aug. 15-17. Its performance was part of an 18-9 August -- the best mark in the AL. Tampa Bay has won three straight and nine of 11.
The Rays are returning home after a pair of wins over the Miami Marlins.
Manuel Margot hit the go-ahead single in the 10th inning in a 2-1 win on Wednesday. Randy Arozarena, who had two more hits, batted .327 with six homers and 23 RBIs in August.
"We all know what the standings are right now," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "Everybody's kind of clumped together. We just have to keep winning.
Coming off his two longest outings of the season, Domingo German (2-2, 3.19 ERA) will open the series for the Yankees. After allowing two runs, one earned, in 6 1/3 innings on Aug. 22 against the Mets, German gave up three hits in 7 2/3 innings on Saturday in Oakland when the Yankees took a 3-2 loss in 11 innings.
German is 3-1 with a 6.32 ERA in nine career appearances (seven starts) against the Rays. He last faced the Rays on Aug. 17, when he allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings in a no-decision.
The Rays hope Jeffrey Springs (6-4, 2.76 ERA) can continue their strong run of pitching on Friday. The left-hander went 3-1 with a 2.93 ERA in five August starts, but he was roughed up in his latest outing. The Red Sox tagged him for five runs on eight hits in six innings on Saturday.
Springs is 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA in 10 career outings against the Yankees. His only two starts vs. New York came this year, and he went 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA.
Tampa Bay's pitching staff produced a 2.85 ERA in August. In the past 18 games, the Rays own a 2.36 ERA, have allowed three runs or fewer in 14 of those games and two runs or fewer in 11 contests.
--Field Level Media