The Rays come to the Bronx for the final four games before the All-Star Break. Although the Rays are 4 games out of first place in the AL East, they have potential to make some headway over their next few series'. They have these four games against the Yankees, then following the All-Star break they host the Red Sox followed by another series against the Yankees. If they can split these games, they will be right back in the fight for the AL East title. This might be easier said than done though, as the Rays aren’t playing their best ball. They lost two of three to the reds a week ago, then won two of three from the Cardinals before returning to the AL, where they lost two of three from the ailing Twins. They barely escaped a sweep in Minnesota but not for a total breakdown in the Twins bullpen yesterday. Overall, they are about a .500 team.
The Yankees have been hot lately although they did drop 2 of 3 to the Indians in Cleveland this week. Although they lost 2 of 3, they still played good ball and could have won all the games had AJ not collapsed following 6 scoreless innings, and Mitre not allowed any runs in last night’s loss. The Yankees are 7-3 in their last ten games and are 28-18 at home. This should be a good series as the Rays haven’t come to the Bronx this season yet, and have a good record on the road at 27-18 compared to their 21-21 record in Tampa.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Thursday: Jeff Niemann (3-4, 5.05) vs Bartolo Colon (6-3, 2.88)
-Colon is seeking his 5th straight win. He came off the DL prior to his last start against the Mets where he pitched 6 shutout innings while striking out 6.
-Colon has the lowest ERA for a Yankees starter
-Over his past three starts, Colon is 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 16 strikeouts
-Niemann pitched this past Saturday against the Cardinals allowing only 1 run and struck out 5. He will be making his 4th start since coming off the DL, and is 2-0 with a 3.60 ERA over his last three games with 12 strikeouts
-Niemann was the pitcher to give up hit # 2721 to Derek Jeter, when Jeter tied Lou Gehrig for the most hits in pinstripes. During that game, Jeter had 3 hits against Niemann. Jeter is 5-9 with 2 doubles off Niemann.
Friday: Jeremy Hellickson (8-7, 3.21) vs Freddy Garcia (7-6, 3.13)
-Garcia pitched a strong 7 innings in his last outing on Sunday against the Mets allowing only one run. Mo ultimately blew the save before the yanks lost in extra innings.
-Garcia is 2-0 over his last three starts with a 1.35 ERA, but only 6 strikeouts over those three games
-Johnny Damon has some good numbers against Garcia, as he is hitting .316 over 19 at bats. Unfortunately for Damon, it looks like he won’t be playing after being hit by two pitches yesterday and being removed from the game. He is day to day.
-Hellickson has never started against the Yankees, although he has appeared in relief against them last season. If this is anything like other young pitchers facing the Yankees for the first time, it could be a long day for the Yanks!
-Hellickson last pitched against the Cardinals this past weekend allowing 3 runs on 6 hits to get the win. This win snapped his 4 game losing streak.
-Hellickson has allowed 7 home runs over his past 5 starts. He also has some control issues as his BB/9IP ratio is 3.39/9IP. The yanks need to stay patient, and hopefully drill a few balls over the fence.
-Hellickson is 1-2 with a 3.72 ERA over his last three starts, with 14 strikeouts.
Saturday: David Price (8-7, 3.56) vs AJ Burnett (8-7, 4.12)
-AJ totally fell apart in his last start during the 7th inning following 6 shutout innings. In the 7th, AJ allowed 4 runs and took the loss to the Indians
-Burnett is 1-2 with a 4.43 ERA and 15 strikeouts over his last 3 starts.
-Longoria is hitting .375 off Burnett over 32 at bats
-David Price took his first loss on the road since May 21 this past week against the Twins. In that start Price allowed 4 runs on 5 hits.
-Price is 1-1 with a 3.32 ERA and a whopping 28 strikeouts in his last 3 games!
-On the bright side of things, Nick Swisher is hitting .357 off Price over 14 at bats.
Sunday: James Shields (8-6, 2.47) vs. CC Sabathia (12-4, 2.90)
-This should be a great matchup and is a great way to end regular season play before the All-Star Break!
-CC has been absolutely dominant lately and just got his 12th win of the season, being the first pitcher to get 12 wins in MLB this season. In his last start he struck out 11 batters over 7 innings of shutout baseball.
-CC is 3-0 with a .40 ERA and an amazing 33 strikeouts over his past three games.
-Longoria bats .316 off CC over 19 at bats with 2 Home Runs
-BJ Upton is batting .300 against CC over 30 at bats with 2 Home Runs
-Johnny Damon is hitting .333 over 9 at bats against Sabathia
-Ben Zobrist is batting .320 off CC in 25 at bats
-Shields is coming off a subpar start where he lasted only 6 innings and giving up 3 runs on 6 hits.
-Shields is 1-2 with a 2.86 ERA and 24 strikeouts over his past three games
-Cano is hitting .390 off Shields in 41 at bats with 3 Homers
-Jeter is hitting .340 off Shields in 50 at bats.
-Jorge Posada is hitting .296 off Shields in 27 at bats.
SIDE NOTES: In case you have been living under a rock… Jeter is 3 hits shy of 3000 and has 4 games at home to try and hit the milestone.
Arod is batting .397 over his past 15 games with 10 RBI’s
Wade Davis was placed on the DL today and the Rays called up Gomes as a reliever in his place in order to bolster their bullpen against the Yankees.
Longoria is questionable to play during this series due to a nerve issue in his foot
Matt Joyce has slowed down considerably since his early tear. Since June 1 he is batting .160 with a .219 on base percentage.
You Can Read All About CC Sabathia RIGHT HERE
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