Rays at Yankees
After seeing many of their sleepy studs receive a wake-up call in the opener, the New York Yankees hope those same players aren't quick to hit the snooze on Saturday afternoon when they continue their three-game series with the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. Mark Teixeira had three hits in Friday's 6-3 win to match his previous 10-game total and Brian McCann had a two-run homer among his two hits on the heels of a 1-for-18 slump.
The offensive display certainly was a welcome one for New York, which entered the series having mustered 18 runs during a woeful 1-7 stretch. Tampa Bay's Logan Forsythe isn't in need of a wake-up call, as the 29-year-old is 9-for-20 with seven runs scored during a five-game hitting streak. Forsythe might benefit from a cup of coffee against Saturday starter Masahiro Tanaka, having gone 0-for-5 with two strikeouts in his career versus the New York right-hander. Southpaw Blake Snell likely won't need any java to get going on Saturday as the prized prospect will make his major-league debut at Yankee Stadium.
TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, FSN Sun (Tampa Bay), YES (New York), MLB Network
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays LH Blake Snell (major-league debut) vs. Yankees RH Masahiro Tanaka (1-0, 3.06 ERA)
Selected in the first compensation round of the 2011 draft, Snell was originally slated to pitch for Triple-A Durham on Friday before being summoned to New York. The 23-year-old enjoyed a scintillating year across three levels of minor-league ball in 2015, during which he posted a 15-4 mark and struck out 163 batters in 134 innings. Snell continued where he left off this season, brandishing a 1-1 mark in 2016 with 21 punchouts in 14 1/3 frames.
Tanaka allowed two earned runs for the third straight outing on Sunday, but walked away with his first decision of the season. The 27-year-old Japanese star didn't issue a free pass in his seven innings of work versus Seattle after permitting four in his previous trip to the mound. Tanaka has only walked one batter in 20 innings versus Tampa Bay, posting a 2-0 mark while limiting the Rays to a .222 batting average.
WALK-OFFS
1. New York CF Jacoby Ellsbury had been mired in a 1-for-15 slump before going 6-for-11 in his last three games, highlighted by his straight steal of home on Friday.
2. Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria has multi-hit performances in each of his last two contests and has eight hits total in his last six.
3. The Yankees recalled Nick Goody from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and placed fellow RHP Branden Pinder on the 15-day disabled list with a strained elbow.