I bet the Yanks are happy to not be playing on artificial concrete turf. Not that it was the only cause for their woes yesterday, but whoooboy, was that one ugly. They’ll get two chances to redeem themselves today, and with their two best pitchers on the mound, no less.
Kicking things off will be CC Sabathia. Need we even look at how incredible he’s been since the break? Well, yes. If there’s one number I’d share about CC in the second half, it’s his strikeout to walks ratio, at a nasty 6:1 (72 strikeouts to 12 walks). CC was at 5.12 last season after the trade to Milwaukee. Sometimes the term “second half player” is bandied about without much statistical backing, but it’s absolutely true of Sabathia, at least over the last two seasons.
While a win would be redemption for the Yanks’ poor play yesterday, it would also be redemption for Sabathia. His last bad start was down in Tampa, when he allowed six runs, five earned, over 5.2 innings. He’s pitched just a little better since then.
Matt Garza is amid another solid season, though he’s dropped off a bit in the second half. After heading into the All-Star Break with a 3.73 ERA, he’s pitched to a 4.58 ERA in the second half to this point, raising his overall ERA to 4.11. The raise is mostly due to a short start in Anaheim, in which he allowed four runs in 3.1 innings, and a shelling at the hands of the Tigers.
This will mark Garza’s fourth start against the Yanks this year. He’s done a fine job each time, but the Rays are 1-2 in those games. In the last one he allowed three runs over seven innings, though the Yanks should have punished him a bit more for the 11 baserunners he allowed. Maybe he’ll wave goodbye to another Robinson Cano home run today.
The Yanks made two roster moves today, recalling Shelley Duncan and activating Brett Gardner from the disabled list. Gritt Girtner gets the start in center for the first game.
Lineup:
1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Nick Swisher, RF
3. Mark Teixeira, 1B
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
5. Robinson Cano, 2B
6. Jorge Posada, C
7. Eric Hinske, DH
8. Melky Cabrera, LF
9. Brett Gardner, CF
And on the mound, number fifty-two, CC Sabathia.