Today the New York Yankees played their second game of spring training in the shadow of worries as to what is wrong with Luis Severino and being hopeful that Aaron Judge’s woes are short-lived. The game at Charlotte Sports Park was between the Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays at the Rays home park in Port Charlotte, Florida. Jonathan Loaisgia started for the Yankees and Ryan Yarborough for the Rays. At the start of the game, it was 77 degrees and sunny, a perfect day for a ball game.
Many wonder why the Rays have spring training in an outside park just 100 miles away from where they play their regular-season games in Tampa at the enclosed artificial grass Tropicana Field.  The reason is probably that the Rays don’t want to play at Tropicana, but the scorching Tampa sun in the summer demands it.
The Yankees were coming off a 2-1 loss in game one against the Toronto Blue Jay at home at George M. Steinbrenner Field. The Yankees were scoreless against Yarborough in the first when Jonathan Loaisiga took the mound for the Yankees. He pitched a three up three down inning. After just one inning, Yarborough was replaced by Diego Castillo. The Yankees got their first man on base caused by an error at first by Ji-Man Choi, followed by a double from RF Trey Amburgey, scoring CF Estevan Florial for the Yankees second inning 1-0 lead. In the bottom Loaisiga who pitched a perfect first was replaced by David Hale, giving the Rays their first runner, a single by Jose Martinez. Tsutsugo followed with a single, allowing Martinez to go to third.  The Yankees then got a double play, but Martinez crossed the plate to tie the game. Wendle got at a base hit moving Tsutsugo to third; Mike Zunino dropped a fly ball into no mans land in shallow center scoring Tsutsugo, giving the Rays the 2-1 lead and driving Hale from the mound.
Tyler Lyons took over for Hale. Lyons threw a wild pitch driving in Wendle from third for the Rays 3-1 lead. Austin Meadow flew out to end the inning that saw seven Rays face poor Yankee pitching by Hale and Lyons in the inning. Andrew Kittridge started out the top of the 3rd for the Rays and shut down the Yankees. The Rays have the ability to get the most out of their players while having the fourth-lowest payroll in baseball. With the acquisition of Gerrit Cole, the Yankees have the highest payroll in the game.
Highly touted Yankee prospect Clarke Schmidt pitched the bottom of the third, allowing a single but getting out of the inning with a double play. In the bottom, Chris Iannetta walked off Colin Poche, followed by a single by Chris Gittens who homered yesterday for the Yankee’s only run against the Jays. Florial reached on a force at second that allowed Iannetta to go to third, but the Yankees couldn’t score, leaving two on base. The bottom of the fourth went scoreless. The fifth Yankee pitcher was Nick Nelson, who immediately walked Tsutsugo then walked Adames but was saved by the Wendle double play. In the fifth, the Rays pitcher was Anthony Banda. In his first appearance since being sidelined by a shoulder injury, Miguel Andujar stepped to the plate and hit the first pitch he saw for a homer to right field, making it 3-2 Rays.
The Yankee brought out Miguel Yajure to pitch the bottom of the fifth walking Arozerena, who moved to second on a ground out, but the Rays couldn’t score. Shane McClanahan walked Yankee Wynston Sawyer and allowed at a hit to Chris Gitten moving Sawyer to got to third, followed by a base hit to Estrada causing a tie game at three as Sawyer slid into home. Amburgey singled, and Gitten scored followed by a Milone single driving in Estrada, and just like that, it was 5-3 Yankees. Another single caused Amburgey to score, and the Yankee advanced their lead to 6-3. The Yankees picked up four runs in the sixth. Alex Vizcaino pitching the bottom of the sixth, allowed three runners, two of which scored bringing the score to 6-5 Yankees.
Rays pitcher Sean Gilmartin allowed Deglan to single an,d Cabera had a fly ball allowing Deglan to score and it was Yankees 7, Rays 5. It took Gilmartin 20 pitches to close out the inning allowing the Yankees only one run. The Yanks left two on base. In the bottom prospect, Albert Abreu took to the mound for the Yankees. Abreu walked Arozarena, who stole second, then walked Gray. A Smith single drove in a run for the 7-6 Yankee lead. The Rays would again leave two on base. At the top of the eighth, the Rays brought in their eighth pitcher in Josh Fleming, who finished off the half, leaving one Yankee on base. The Yankee’s ninth pitcher in the game was Trevor Lane, who walked two and allowed a fly ball to send the Rays ahead in the game 8-7 in the bottom of the eighth and causing another pitching change. Jim Reeves replaced him but, in a horrible move the catcher Sawyer overthrew Reeves on a return ball and allowed another run for the 9-7 lead. Gray grounded out to end a horrible inning for the Yankees.
Ryan Sherriff pitched the ninth as the Yankees faced their last licks in the game. Sawyer flew out, Deglan grounded out, and Cabrera grounded out, and that was the game. Rays 9 and the Yankees 7. Trevor Lane took the loss for the Yankees, and the win went to the Ray’s Fleming with a save for Sherriff. Catcher Sawyer committed two Yankee errors in the game. The Yankees left eight on base while going 4-13 with men in scoring position. Unlike yesterday’s game, there was never a dull moment in this game highlighted by the home from Miguel Andujar. The Yankee management is getting a good look at their pitchers as they have used eighteen in the first two games. They have also seen action at backstop using all of their backup catchers.