Yankees, Masahiro Tanaka have a tough night at Stadium in loss to Rays
Masahiro Tanaka #19 of the Yankees rubs up a new ball after surrendering a third inning three run home run against Brandon Lowe #8 of the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The only carry-over from some of the bad blood that surfaced the last time the Yankees and Rays got together was the former continuing to beat up on the latter.
On a Tuesday night Masahiro Tanaka was severely outpitched by Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell, the Yankees’ six-game winning streak ended in a 6-3 loss at the Stadium.
The Yankees (16-7), who lost three of four to the Rays (15-9) Aug. 7-9 in St. Petersburg, Fla., saw their AL East lead over Tampa Bay trimmed to 1 ½ games as they absorbed their first loss of 2020 at the home (now 10-1).
“I was trying to make adjustment throughout the game, but I really couldn’t find it,” Tanaka said through his interpreter. “Just didn’t really have my command and control. I was out of sync. I felt like I was off balance all night.”
Tanaka, who brought a 2.31 ERA in three previous outings this season — comprising 11 2/3 innings — into the night, allowed six runs (five earned) and eight hits over four-plus innings. After allowing Austin Meadows’ leadoff homer in the fifth, which gave the Rays a 6-1 lead, Tanaka was replaced by rookie righthander Nick Nelson, called up earlier in the day.
Tanaka, 10-4 with a 3.07 ERA in 19 career starts vs. the Rays coming in, including 4-2 with a 1.64 ERA in his previous nine starts against them entering Tuesday, allowed two homers, including a three-run shot to Brandon Lowe that highlighted a four-run third that made it 4-0.
“It was from the beginning,” Tanaka said of lack of command. “I knew it right away that something was off.”
Luke Voit’s two-run homer off Snell in the fifth — the first baseman’s eighth overall and fifth in his last seven games — cut the Yankees deficit to 6-3 but the Rays, one of the few teams with a bullpen on par with the Yankees’, took the Rays home.
Snell, 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA over his first four starts, allowed three runs, four hits and two walks over five innings in which he struck out three. the lefthander came in 3-6 with a 4.23 ERA in 17 career starts vs. the Yankees, including 1-5 with a 5.82 ERA in 11 previous starts at the Stadium.
After Pete Fairbanks struck out two in a perfect sixth, Diego Castillo loaded the bases with one out but he struck out Voit and got Gio Urshela to ground to third.
“That’s a spot where I need to come up with something,” said Voit, who hit leadoff for the first time in his professional career. “I failed and it’s frustrating.”
Nick Anderson struck out two in a perfect eighth and Chaz Roe, after hitting the first batter he faced, got a line-drive double play ball off the bat of Clint Frazier, then Miguel Andujar for his first save of the season. The Yankees were outhit, 9-5. They did get Gary Sanchez’s fifth homer of the season, a solo shot in the fourth to make it 5-1. It was the catcher’s fifth homer in 20 career at-bats vs. Snell.
“We had our one big chance there in the seventh when we loaded ‘em up and they were able to wiggle out of it,” Aaron Boone said. “You know runs are going to be tough and those are the times, if you’re going to have a successful offensive night you have to break through there.”
For one game, there were no lingering issues from the series in St. Petersburg when the ever-increasing dislike between the clubs was on full display.
“I think it's, obviously, two very good teams I think that have a lot of respect for the talent on both sides,” Boone said earlier in the day Tuesday. “The way I put it is, sometimes when you're playing for a lot, and there's two competitive, high-level teams, sometimes occasionally it spills over.”
