Live Blog: Rays at Yankees

Yankees win, 8-3.

With the victory, the Yankees improved their lead in the AL East to 2 1/2 games over the Rays and evened the season series at 8-8. Phil Hughes earned the win after giving up three runs, four hits and five walks and striking out six in 6 1/3 innings. Hughes improves to 17-8. Despite the final score, Joba Chamberlain picked up his third save of the season. He entered with the potential tying run on deck and the score 7-3 in the eighth inning. He yielded an infield hit and struck out one batter in 1 2/3 innings. James Shield gave up five runs - all in the second inning - and seven hits in 5 1/3 for the loss, which dropped his record to 13-13. Robinson Cano and Lance Berkman led the Yankees with two RBIs apiece. Jorge Posada went 2-for-3 with an RBI, Alex Rodriguez was 2-for-4, and Nick Swisher and Derek Jeter each went 2-for-5. Jeter extended his hitting streak to 10 games and his batting average is now .265. Matt Joyce was 2-for-3 and hit a solo homer off Hughes in the second inning.

Top of the 9th
[Chamberlain remained in to pitch the ninth.]
Zobrist grounded out to second, Crawford grounded to short (Jeter fielded the chopper and threw the runner out by a step) and Longoria flew out to right to end the game.

Bottom of the 8th
[Andy Sonnanstine enters to pitch the eighth and Reid Brignac comes in to play shortstop in place of Barlett, who was pinch-hit for.]
Jeter tacked on another run for the Yankees with a double to right-center that scored Gardner from second. After Berkman grounded out sharply to second and Granderson grounded to first, Gardner hit a groundball double down the rightfield line (just out of the reach of a diving Pena). Swisher grounded out softly to first to end the inning. 8-3, Yankees

Top of the 8th
Vazquez got into some trouble and Chamberlain got out of it. Johnson led off with a single to left and Joyce followed with a lined single to right. After Vazquez got Pena to fly out to center for the first out, Chamberlain entered. Upton hit a hard grounder back up the middle that deflected off Chamberlain's right thigh and caromed toward third for an infield single. With the bases loaded, lefty swinging Brad Hawpe pinch-hit for Bartlett. Chamberlain struck Hawpe out on a 3-and-2 slider down and in and got Jaso to fly to center. 

Bottom of the 7th
Cano hit a two-run double to give the Yankees some breathing room. Chad Qualls started the inning and fanned Jeter for the first out. Swisher singled to right, but Teixeira grounded to right for a 6-5 force out (the shortstop Bartlett, because of the infield shift, was able to field the ball near second and flipped to Longoria). With Teixeira at first, Rodriguez hit a groundball single between first and second and Teixeira got to third. [Lefty Randy Choate then entered to pitch to Cano.] Cano hit a bloop to shallow left that Crawford dove for but missed, allowing Teixeira and Rodriguez to score. Crawford's throw to the plate was cut off by Longoria, but Cano slid safely into third. [Righthander Lance Cormier entered in relief of Choate to pitch to Posada and have the switch-hitter bat lefty.] Posada struck out to end the inning. 7-3, Yankees

Top of the 7th
Crawford gave the Rays another run with a two-out bloop single to shallow left that scored Bartlett. Hughes started the inning and allowed a leadoff single to Bartlett. He advanced to second on Jaso's slow grounder toward second that Jeter fielded and threw to first. With that, and 112 pitches thrown, Joe Girardi went to the bullpen and relieved Hughes with Javier Vazquez. [Hughes exited having allowed two runs, four hits and five walks and struck out six.] Vazquez got Zobrist to fly out to left, before Crawford's hit. Longoria ended the frame with a grounder to short that Jeter tossed to second for the force out. Bartlett's run was charged to Hughes, so make that three earned runs in 6 1/3 innings... Vazquez has struggled for most of this season (5.09 ERA), but as a reliever this season, he's faced 35 batters and allowed just five hits. 5-3, Yankees

Bottom of the 6th
After Cano grounded to first, Posada doubled to the right-centerfield wall (snapping Shields' streak of eight retired batters). Joe Maddon then opted to have Shields intentionally walk Berkman and go to the bullpen to have lefty Jake McGee pitch to the upcoming lefthanded hitters. McGee did what he was called on for. Granderson hit a slow roller to short and was thrown out by a step at first, allowing the runners to move to second and third, but Gardner ended the inning with a chopper back to the mound.

Top of the 6th
Hughes had his best and most efficient inning of the game. Joyce popped up to second, Pena hit a high fly ball to right and Upton struck out on a 92 mph fastball down the middle. Hughes is now at 106 pitches. Joe Girardi could have him start the seventh. Joba Chamberlain was stirring in the bullpen earlier, but he sat down.

Bottom of the 5th
Swisher flew out to left and Teixeira flew out to deep center (a step in front of the warning track). Rodriguez grounded sharply to third but Longoria scooped it behind the bag and made the long throw to first in time. Despite his early struggles, Shields is now only at 94 pitches.

Top of the 5th
Hughes has a bounce-back inning. Crawford grounded out to second, Longoria struck out looking on an 87 mph cutter to end an eight-pitch at-bat and Johnson, on a 3-and-2 changeup, grounded to second to end the inning. Hughes is at 98 pitches and is in line to get the win, but he looked to have good command in the fifth so he'll likely start the sixth inning.

Bottom of the 4th
Another good inning for Shields. Granderson struck out, Gardner popped up a 91 mph fastball on 3-and-1 and Jeter grounded out to second.

Top of the 4th
Hughes didn't give up a run, but he labored through the inning and had to work out of a jam. Joyce walked on a 3-and-2 changeup outside. Pena struck out on a 3-and-2 fastball down the middle. Upton hit a sharp one-hopper back to Hughes, who threw to second for the force. There might've been the possibility of a double play, but Jeter and Cano both ran to cover the bag and bumped into each other. Bartlett hit a two-out single up the middle and Jaso walked to load the bases. Zobrist ended the inning with a grounder to first that Teixeira fielded and tossed to Hughes for the 3-to-1 out. Hughes' velocity has dipped from the first couple innings (down to 91-93 mph) and he has struggled with control. He's walked five (tying a career-high) and is up to 80 pitches with just 47 strikes.

Bottom of the 3rd
With another solid inning, Shields seems to have settled down. Alex Rodriguez struck out and Cano grounded out to second for the first two outs. Posada was hit by a pitch on a 0-and-2 curve. The ball came close to Posada's left foot but didn't appear to make contact. Nevertheless, he he was awarded first base. Berkman, however, followed with a line out to first. With a high pitch count and a lack of command in the zone in the second inning, it seemed as if Shields wasn't long for this game. But his pitch count is now 70 (44 strikes) and if he continues at this pace, he could get into the sixth inning.

Top of the 3rd
The Rays scratch across another run. Longoria drove in Jaso with a two-out single to left. After Bartlett struck out, Jaso walked on a 3-and-1 fastball inside and reached third when Crawford walked on a 3-and-1 fastball in the dirt that went for a wild pitch. Zobrist followed Jaso's walk with a fly ball to center for the second out and Johnson grounded to first to end the inning. 5-2, Yankees

Bottom of 2nd
Shields rebounds with a relatively smooth inning. After Jeter singled to right, Swisher grounded into a 3-6-1 double play and Teixeira flew out to center. Shields got through the inning with 13 pitches.

Top of the 2nd
Matt Joyce put the Rays on the board with a deep one-out homer to right field on a 93 mph fastball toward the inside corner. Hughes had struck Dan Johnson out looking on a curveball for the first out. Carlos Pena wiffed on a high fastball for the second out and B.J. Upton flew out to shallow right to end the frame. 5-1, Yankees

Bottom of the 1st
Shields was tagged for five runs. Nick Swisher put the Yankees on the board with a solo homer to right field. With two outs and runners at first and second, Posada drove in Mark Teixeira with a single to right and Lance Berkman then drove in two with a double off the centerfield wall. Curtis Granderson followed with an RBI single to right-center. Jeter had popped up to shortstop for the first out of the inning. After Swisher went deep, Teixeira walked on a 3-and-1 fastball that was low and outside and Alex Rodriguez got an infield single (grounded one into the shortstop hole that Bartlett snagged on a dive, but Teixeira beat the throw to second). Robinson Cano struck out on an 0-and-2 curveball for the second out before the torrent of two-out, RBI hits. Brett Gardner, who was the ninth batter of the inning, struck out to end the frame. Shields is now up to 42 pitches (25 strikes) and that inning upped his ERA to 5.07. 5-0, Yankees

Top of the 1st
Phil Hughes labored a little, but was able to work a scoreless first inning. John Jaso grounded out weakly to third for the first out, but Ben Zobrist walked on a high curveball on 3-and-2. Hughes got out of it by getting Carl Crawford to fly out to deep right (about a step in front of the warning track) and Evan Longoria grounded out to first. Hughes' velocity appears to be up from previous starts. Most of his fastballs were 93-94 mph and he reached 95 a couple times. He did, however, need 23 pitches to get through the inning.

--------------------------------------

You can call it Separation Tuesday. With the Yankees holding a 1 ½ game lead over the Rays in the American League East and entering the second contest of a four-game series, they've got a prime opportunity to put some distance between themselves and a team that's been stuck to their heels like chewing gum.

Brian Cashman has said publicly that the division title isn't paramount – with the Wild Card being a fallback – and the organization is more concerned with ensuring the key players are healthy and rested for the postseason. Makes sense, but they can't afford to lose sight of the fact that a playoff berth has not yet been secured. With 12 games left, all against teams with better than .500 records, nothing is guaranteed. That stretch includes six games against the Red Sox, including three in Boston to wrap up the regular season. With the Yankees having only a 6.5-game lead over the Sox and the rivalry being as heated as it is, those most certainly won't be lay-down games. And since the Red Sox haven't been eliminated, they'll have more to play for than just spoiling things for the Yankees.

There's also the matchup factor. Should the Yankees get in via the Wild Card, they'd likely face the Texas Rangers in the ALDS, with the Rangers holding homefield advantage. That's a team that swept the Yankees at the Ballpark in Arlington earlier this month. In that series, the Yankees showed they had difficulty dealing with the Rangers' speed and Nelson Cruz's power. With those things in the eggshell, the Yankees sort of need-without-a-need to win this series. More of a “really, really want.” It's also important for them that Phil Hughes gets untracked, at least a bit, before the playoffs. He's been mediocre since a strong first six weeks. 

“Big Game” James Shields is 13-12 with a career-worst 4.86 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. He should surpass his career-high in strikeouts (high of 184 and he's at 176 now), but his overall numbers are down because he's given up a lot of hits (219, with opponents hitting .286 off him) and allowed a career-high 32 homers. Those things in conjunction will bust up an ERA. On the road, he's got a 5.40 ERA and opponents bat .302 against him. He's also got a 6.32 ERA in three September starts. Shields, however, is 2-0 with a 2.51 ERA in five starts against the Yankees this season. He last faced them on Sept. 15 and gave up a run and eight hits and struck out eight in 6 1/3 innings to earn the win in a 4-3 Rays victory. In the start before that, Aug. 1, he allowed four hits and no runs and struck out 11 over 7 1/3 innings in the Rays' 3-0 win. So he has done well against the Yankees in these big games. Also, Shields has good stuff and a big arsenal that can keep batters off balance. The righthander throws a four-seam fastball that usually sits between 90-92 mph, a good changeup, hard slider/cutter, slow curve and he occasionally throws a two-seamer. The Yankees are hitting a collective .247 against him. Robinson Cano has had the most success, batting .421 (16-for-38 with two triples, three homers and eight RBIs). Derek Jeter has also done well, hitting .340 (16-for-47 with a homer and five RBIs). Curtis Granderson has struggled the most. He's just 2-for-29 against Shields. Mark Teixeira has a .194 average.