The New York Yankees have been playing poor baseball, losing five of their last six games and being swept by the 2nd worst team in the American League, the Detroit Tigers. They have a bigger challenge going into seven games against the two best teams in the AL East, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox.
Starting with today’s holiday matinee, the Yankees will face the Tampa Bay Rays for 4 straight games at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees have a losing record against the Rays this season as they did last season. The Rays have good pitching, but the big change this season is that the team is hitting too, winning their last 15 of 16 games and thrusting them into 1st place in the AL East. The Yankees will have to pitch well, hit well, and play clean baseball to have any chance at taking this series.
Today, May 31, 1:05 pm:
Today will be the first game of a 4 game set against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees will send out Jameson Taillon, their least dependable starter, to face the Rays’ lefty Rich Hill. Taillon has been inconsistent, pitching well at times and not so much at other times. He is 1-3 with an ERA of 5.06. He will hope to have a strong follow-up after pitching 5 scoreless innings in his last outing against the Chicago White Sox.
Taillon will face Rich Hill. Hill is 3-2 with an ERA of 3.36. However, in his last four starts this season, he has pitched to a 1.26 ERA. He has won both of his starts against the Yankees this year.
Tuesday, June 1st, 7:05 pm:
On Tuesday, the Rays will send out their ace Tyler Glasnow to face a yet-to-be-named Yankee pitcher. Glasnow has been totally dominant for the Rays this season. He is 4-2 with an ERA of 2.57 and 98 strikeouts, overtaking Gerrit Cole in strikeouts by 1. He is coming off an eight-inning shutout of the Royals. Although not announced, the likely starter for this game will be Gerrit Cole, who has not pitched since May 22nd.
Wednesday, June 2nd, 7:05 pm:
The Rays will feature Shane McCallahan, a lefty that is 2-0 with an ERA of 3.29. He is coming off five shutout innings against the Kansas City Royals. McCallahan is a rookie and has never pitched to the Yankees or at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees have not announced a pitcher for the game.
Wednesday will also be Lou Gehrig Day at New York Yankee Stadium, celebrating the great Yankee first baseman that died from ALS. The inaugural “Lou Gehrig Day†will be celebrated league-wide this June 2nd. June 2, 1925, began his record-breaking consecutive games streak — 2,130 in total over 14 years — and later, the day the “Iron Horse†died in 1941 at age 37 from “Lou Gehrig’s disease.” The day celebrates his life and baseball career but is also to bring attention to the debilitating disease.
Thursday, June 3rd, 1:05 pm:
Thursday will be a mystery pitcher day, as neither team has announced their starter for the series finale.
In some order, New York Yankees fans will see Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery, and Domingo German during the series. The games will be televised on Bally Sports Sun in Florida and the New York area on the YES Network. Thursday’s game will also be on the MLB Network out of market.