Tampa Bay @ New York preview
Yankee Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 4, 2015 ) Tampa Bay 2, NY Yankees 5
The New York Yankees’ current lineup won’t be confused with the Murderer’s Row of old, but they’ve looked the part lately. The Yankees have slugged eight home runs in their past two games and hope to continue the power surge in the second of a three-game series with the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.
Three blasts accounted for all of New York’s scoring in a 5-2 victory Friday – the Yankees’ third straight win and their sixth in seven games. New York has inched within a half game of American League East leader Toronto, while Tampa Bay has dropped two straight as it tries to stay alive in the crowded race for the second wild card. Yankees right-hander Nathan Eovaldi looks to run his unbeaten streak to 14 starts when he faces the Rays, who are one of only two teams to hand him losses this season. The Yankees lead the season series 9-5 and have won five of seven meetings at home.
TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays LH Matt Moore (1-3, 8.78 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Nathan Eovaldi (14-2, 4.17)
Moore is back following a month-long stint at Triple-A Durham, where he went 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in five starts. The Rays hope the 26-year-old has sorted out the difficulties that plagued him in his return from Tommy John surgery, when he issued 13 walks in 26 2/3 innings and failed to record a quality start in six outings. Moore is 5-2 with a 3.83 ERA in nine meetings against New York.
Eovaldi has enjoyed great run support all season and it hit a new level in his last outing, as he allowed five runs over five innings but earned the win in a 20-6 rout of Atlanta. The 25-year-old has won nine straight decisions dating to a June 16 loss at Miami. Eovaldi gave up four runs over 7 1/3 innings in a loss at Tampa Bay on May 12 – his only previous start against the Rays.
WALK-OFFS
1. New York 1B Greg Bird’s four career home runs have come in bunches – he homered twice Aug. 19 against Minnesota and has gone deep in each of the past two games.
2. Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria has belted four home runs in his past four games after hitting only one in his previous 20 contests.
3. The Yankees are 70-0 this season – and 139-2 over the past two seasons – when leading after eight innings.
PREDICTION: Yankees 6, Rays 4