The New York Yankees, now the third-best team in baseball have flown to Tampa, Florida to meet up with the Tampa Bay Rays for a four-game set, which includes a Saturday doubleheader.
The Yankees started out the season hot, winning a series against the World Champion Washington Nationals, then sweeping the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox. However, for the first time in the season, the Yankees hit a wall losing two games against the Philadelphia Phillies for a split of that series.
Tonight at 6:40 pm eastern they will play a game at Tropicana Field in Tampa against the Rays who are presently third in the East with a 5-7 record. The Yankees are 9-3. In the first game of the set, they will face Black Snell. You may remember him from his many complaints about playing in a coronavirus season, saying it just wasn’t worth it. Yet, here he is facing the Yankees tonight.
Snell the once-powerful ace of the Rays, in 2018 he had a 21-5 dominant season. However, last year he went 6-8 with an inflated 4.29 ERA. This is Snell’s third start of the season. In his second start, he gave up three runs in three innings. So far he is 0-0 with an ERA of 5.40. Although Snell is a premium pitcher he has never had a handle on the Yankees. His record against the Yankees in 16 starts in his career, is 3-6 with an ERA of 4.41. Snell will have to pitch carefully to Mike Tauchman and DJ LeMahieu, who both have his number.
The Yankees will put out Masahiro Tanaka against Snell. Tanaka two weeks into summer camp got hit in the head by a comebacker from fellow teammate Giancarlo Stanton. He was put under concession protocol, delaying his first start. Tanaka allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and one walk over 2.2 innings during last Saturday’s 5-2 win over Boston. He struck out three and did not factor into the decision.
Tanaka is still building strength, having pitched 51 pitches in his first outing. The Yankees hope he can go 65-70 pitches tonight, and allow the Yankees to bounce back from their loss last night against the Phillies. None of the Rays have hit well off Tanaka at any point in his career. Tanaka has pitched complete-game shutouts of the Rays in 2018 and 2019. Last year Tanaka was 3-1 against the Rays. It is unknown if the “Tank” will continue to wear the protective shield he wore in his hat last Saturday.
New York Yankee ace Gerrit Cole will start the first game of a day-night doubleheader at Tropicana Field on Saturday. The second game may be a bullpen game, with James Paxton taking the ball for the Yankees on Sunday.