Rays at Yankees
It's another day at Yankee Stadium on Sunday and another opportunity to honor their glorious past as Mariano Rivera's Monument Park plaque dedication ceremony occurs prior to New York trying for a three-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays. Alex Rodriguez's final game in pinstripes Friday culminated in the Yankees' 6-3 victory while Saturday's 8-4 triumph came after New York's 1996 World Series championship team was honored in a pregame jubilee.
A piece of history was also made Saturday as New York first baseman Tyler Austin and 6-7, 275-pound right fielder Aaron Judge homered five pitches apart in their first major league at-bats, the second time two players accomplished the feat in the same game and the first for teammates. "I think it's good for them to be here today to see that these guys were young, these guys performed at a high level and they had a long run. Let's go do the same thing," Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters, referencing players such as Rivera (652 saves, most in history), Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams that were among the honorees Saturday. New York is 60-56 - matching a season-high at four games over .500 - and has won four straight for the second time since the All-Star break to remain on the periphery of the American League wild card race while Tampa Bay (46-69) continues to play out the string with five losses in its last six contests. The Rays' Jake Odorizzi is 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA in his last five starts and opposes Luis Severino, who returns to New York after a brief stint in Triple A.
TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, FSN Sun (Tampa Bay), YES (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Jake Odorizzi (6-5, 3.69 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Luis Severino (1-7, 6.42)
Odorizzi received a no-decision and had his 20 2/3-inning scoreless streak halted when he allowed four runs (two earned) and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings of Tampa Bay's 7-5 loss in Toronto on Monday. The 26-year-old Illinois native pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings in the Rays' 5-1 victory over New York on July 29, improving to 4-5 with a 4.23 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) versus the Yankees - 1-1, 1.32 this season. Odorizzi struggles with Brian McCann (12-for-26, three home runs, 10 RBIs) but fares well against Jacoby Ellsbury and Chase Headley (combined .213 average in 47 at-bats).
Severino yielded five runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings of a 5-3 loss in Boston on Tuesday, prompting a demotion to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to work on his off-speed pitches. The stay didn't last long as the 22-year-old Dominican returned to fill the void left in the rotation by Nathan Eovaldi, who left Wednesday's game with an elbow injury and was placed on the disabled list. Severino, who has permitted 110 hits in 110 innings over two seasons, is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in three games (two starts) versus Tampa Bay after pitching two scoreless innings of relief in New York's 5-3 loss at Tampa Bay on July 31.
WALK-OFFS
1. Saturday marked the first time since 1969 (C John Ellis and CF Jim Lyttle) that New York started two players making their major league debuts.
2. Yankees LF Brett Gardner did not play Saturday after getting hit by a pitch above the right ankle Friday and is expected to miss a few games.
3. The Phillies' Heinie Mueller and the Brooklyn Dodgers' Ernie Koy homered in their first career at-bats on April 19, 1938 at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia.