 for a 4-0 lead.''Just hunting a mistake, trying to get something elevated against him,'' Lowe said.Lowe is batting .500 with 11 runs and 13 RBIs over his last seven games.''I've been working my butt off for five years trying to get this swing to where it is and just really trying to understand my body and how to move efficiently and it's been working out,'' Lowe added.Tanaka had difficulty locating his pitches and was hit hard, charged with six runs - five earned - and eight hits over four innings.''I was trying to make adjustments throughout the game but I really couldn't really find it. Just really didn't have my command or control,'' he said through a translator. ''All in all, it wasn't a good day.'' Blake Snell (2-0) entered the night 1-5 with a 5.82 ERA in 11 career starts at Yankee Stadium. The 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner worked around leadoff runners in the first three innings and got through the fifth, allowing three runs, four hits and two walks.''Overall I think the off day, being locked down in a hotel and restricted from life, that definitely makes it harder,'' Snell said. ''I laid in a bed all day yesterday and I came here, didn't really feel as good as I wanted to feel. Had to battle.'' Willy Adames scored on a passed ball by Sanchez in the fourth. Meadows went deep to lead off the fifth, chasing Tanaka.Sanchez clubbed a solo shot in the fourth, his fifth of the year and fifth career homer against Snell.Voit hit a two-run homer in the fifth, cutting the lead to 6-3 with his eighth of the season. The hulking first baseman started in the leadoff spot for the first time in his career as manager Aaron Boone shuffles a lineup missing injured stars Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu.New York loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, but reliever Diego Castillo retired Voit and Gio Urshela to end the threat.Nick Anderson and Chaz Roe combined for a scoreless eighth and ninth, with Roe converting his first save opportunity.''We can match up pretty well once we have the lead and guys are rested, and tonight was a good sign of that,'' Cash said of his bullpen.LAST LICKSThe Yankees batted in the bottom of the ninth inning for the first time this season.SHUFFLING THE DECKThe Rays acquired right-hander Edgar Garcia from Philadelphia for a player to be named later and signed free agent left-hander Dietrich Enns to a minor league contract. Both players will report to the club's alternate site.To make room, Tampa Bay designated infielder Daniel Robertson for assignment.The Yankees recalled righty Nick Nelson from their alternate site, optioning fellow reliever Ben Heller. They also signed veteran shortstop Jordy Mercer to a minor league deal.Nelson pitched three shutout frames.TRAINER'S ROOMRays: LHP Jose Alvarado (left shoulder inflammation) saw a doctor in New York on Monday and will be shut down from throwing for at least 10-14 days. ... RHP Charlie Morton (right shoulder inflammation) threw a ''pretty intense'' bullpen Tuesday, according to Cash. The two-time All-Star will play catch Wednesday. ... RHP Oliver Drake (right biceps tendinitis) is expected to begin a throwing program shortly. ... LHP/DH Brendan McKay will have season-ending surgery on his left throwing shoulder Wednesday.Yankees: Judge (strained right calf) took batting practice and could be activated for Saturday's showdown with the crosstown Mets, the first day the slugger is eligible to return. ... C Kyle Higashioka (strained right oblique) continues to ramp up from a workload standpoint but is not expected back soon.UP NEXTRays: RHP Tyler Glasnow (0-1, 7.04 ERA) is winless in three career starts against the Yankees.Yankees: RHP Gerrit Cole (4-0, 2.76 ERA) looks to extend a career-long 20-game winning streak.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Yanks, Rays ready to renew AL East's new true rivalryWhile the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are hyped as having baseball's premier rivalry, games between the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays have increasingly taken on the feel of a spirited rivalry in recent seasons.With New York and Tampa owning the two best records in the American League East, that feeling holds true even in the abbreviated 2020 season. The two clubs renew acquaintances Tuesday night when the Yankees host the Rays in the opener of a three-game series.Both teams enter the series playing well.The Yankees are on a six-game winning streak since dropping three of four at Tampa Bay Aug. 7-9. The Rays are 9-2 in their last 11 games, a stretch that began with a 1-0 win over the Yankees in their first meeting.New York enters the series after completing a four-game sweep of the Red Sox with a 6-3 victory Monday when Luke Voit homered twice. Tampa Bay heads to New York after Willy Adames hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning in a 7-5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Buffalo on Sunday.The rivalry has a decided home-field advantage, as well. The Yankees were 8-2 at home against the Rays last season and are 35-13 against the Rays at home in the past five seasons. But of course fans were allowed to attend those games."It will definitely be a little bit more peaceful," Tampa Bay outfielder Kevin Kiermaier told reporters of heading to Yankee Stadium. "I don't have to hear so many bad words out there in the outfield, talking trash to me or the guys next to me. So that will be a nice little change of pace, for sure." Unlike the first series, the Yankees will be playing without three of their stars as Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and DJ LeMahieu are all on the injured list. Stanton injured his left hamstring running the bases in Tampa Bay on Aug 8, the Yankees cited the artificial turf as a cause of Judge's right calf injury and LeMahieu is sidelined for at least two weeks after suffereing a sprain in his left thumb Saturday.Regardless of who has played, there have been some noteworthy moments between the teams in recent meetings.On Aug. 8, Yankees manager Aaron Boone and hitting coach Marcus Thames were ejected for defending their hitters from being thrown up and in by Tampa Bay's pitchers. A day later, James Paxton stared at the Tampa Bay dugout after being removed from the game."We have a little bit of history of chirping and certain things that have gone on in between the white lines," Kiermaier said. "I don't think they're the biggest fans of us, and vice versa." "We've had a lot of competitive games with them," Boone said Saturday. "Obviously, some notable back and forths which is fairly common when you're playing a team a lot, and you're competitive, and you got two good teams and you're playing for a lot. Sometimes emotions rise up but there's no question we have a really good rivalry based on two outstanding teams that are chasing the same goal." Blake Snell, who said the Rays celebrate even more than normal after beating the Yankees, starts the opener and is coming off his first win this season. He allowed four hits in five scoreless innings in Wednesday's win at Boston and has tossed eight scoreless frames in his last two starts.The lefty is 3-6 with a 4.23 ERA in 17 career starts against the Yankees and, like his team, his splits based on location are significantly different. In New York, he is 1-5 with a 5.82 ERA in 11 starts and at home he is 2-1 with a 1.86 ERA in six starts.Masahiro Tanaka opposed Snell on Aug. 7 and pitched five scoreless innings in a no-decision. He is 10-4 with a 3.07 ERA in 19 career starts against the Rays.Tanaka last pitched Wednesday and allowed two runs on five hits in four innings in a no-decision against the Atlanta Braves.--Field Level Media
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