Rays at Yankees
Three home runs and a quality start equaled victory for the New York Yankees in their series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night. The only thing missing was having stalwart closer Mariano Rivera trot out of the bullpen to wrap up the win. New York fans got a glimpse of the short-term future without Rivera when David Robertson pitched himself into and out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth inning to earn his first save.
Tampa Bay will be looking to avoid its second four-game losing streak of the season. The Rays didn’t get much mileage out of their big hits in Tuesday’s game, bunching two homers, a double and a triple in a three-inning span but coming away with only three runs. Already shorthanded with slugging third baseman Evan Longoria sidelined with a torn hamstring, left fielder Desmond Jennings also sat out the series opener with a sprained left knee.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN, YES
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Jeff Niemann (2-3, 4.05 ERA) vs. Yankees RH David Phelps (0-1, 3.74 ERA)
Niemann has yet to give up more than three earned runs, but he also has yet to get through six innings in any of his five starts. Niemann is 3-0 in five career starts against the Yankees, but each of his three losses has come away from home. Derek Jeter is 6-for-13 with three doubles against Niemann, but Curtis Granderson has only one hit in 14 at-bats.
Phelps' first career start got off to a disastrous start before he even took the mound - that was the game when Rivera tore knee ligaments shagging fly balls at Kansas City. Phelps, who made six appearances out of the bullpen, lasted only four innings and allowed two runs on six hits. He has surrendered five homers in only 21 2/3 innings.
WALK-OFFS:
1. New York's Raul Ibanez hit two homers Tuesday, the 15th multi-homer game of his career.
2. Rays 3B Will Rhymes had another two hits and is 7-for-20 in six games since Longoria was hurt.
3. Granderson hit his 10th homer and extended his streak of reaching base to 28 games – the longest in the majors.