 New York Yankees
VS
Tampa Bay Rays
July 30th, 2010
7:10 PM ET
The top two teams in the Majors face off tonight at Tropicana Field
as the Tampa Bay Rays host the Defending Champions, the New York
Yankees in the first of a three-game set. The last two American League
Champions remain just two games apart, yet are the only teams in EITHER
league to compile sixty wins at this point. It doesn’t seem right that
they share the same division. Both teams have performed well since the
All Star break, winning seven out of their last ten games. Plotlines
run wild here as well, as Yankees’ third-baseman Alex Rodriguez awaits
his 600th home run, and Rays starter Matt Garza gets set to pitch the
second game of this series, which will be his first start since
throwing the first no-hitter in franchise history. The trade deadline
will be on the eve of completion after tonight’s game, with both teams
in the market to add a player or two as we progress to the postseason.
C’mon, it’s the Yankees! They always make a deal at the deadline,
right?
The Yankees and Rays have met eight times thus far in 2010, and they
split the series right down the middle with each team winning four
games. At 64-36, New York owns the best record in not only the
American League, but the Majors too, with Tampa Bay breathing down
their collective necks with a 62-38 mark. Though they appear to be the
top two teams in the game, these teams go about their business in
different ways. While pitching remains a constant with both clubs
(yes, which is very cliché), offense is what sets them apart. The
mighty Yankees never seem to lack power, ranking fourth overall in
batting average (.273), fifth in home runs (119), first in RBI’s (524),
and sixth in hits (934). With Curtis Granderson, Derek Jeter, Robinson
Cano, Mark Teixeria, and Alex Rodriguez anchoring the order, the
Yankees always provide a major challenge to whatever poor soul they
happen to be facing. Speaking of Rodriguez (.275 BA, 16 HR, 82 RBI,
.346 OBP, .490 SLG), who has been sitting on 599 home runs for nearly a
week now, the former MVP spearheaded an 8-0 assault on the Cleveland
Indians Wednesday, despite not going yard. On the flipside, Tampa Bay
doesn’t provide the devastating effects that the Yankees offense can,
for they can only be described by the term subtle. The Rays only rank
twenty-second in the Majors batting average (.255), fourteenth in home
runs (95), and twenty-first in hits (869), but when they do get runners
on base they are deadly efficient, ranking third overall in RBI’s
(491). Joe Maddon does an outstanding job of manufacturing runs, with
aggressive base-running and timely hitting. Then there is the
pitching, which both teams are quite adept at. New York may have the
bigger names at the top of their rotation (Sabathia, Burnett, and
Pettitte), but Tampa Bay has developed arguably the deepest rotation in
the Majors. The Rays rank fifth in ERA (3.65), tenth in strikeouts
(735), third in saves (32), and second in WHIP (1.24), compared to the
Yankees, who rank ninth in ERA (3.88), thirteenth in strikeouts (720),
fifteenth in saves (24), and fifth in WHIP (1.28). Tonight we get to
see two starters from the backend of the rotations as Phil Hughes (4.04
ERA, 12-3, 96 K, 1.23 WHIP) faces Wade Davis (4.32 ERA, 8-9, 69 K, 1.41
WHIP). Hughes picked up yet another win in his last start, a 12-6 win
over Kansas City, but struck out just three Royals, while giving up a
pair of homers. A recipient of stellar run support, he has been able
to overcome a 6.26 ERA over his last seven starts. Davis on the other
hand is in the midst of a three-game winning streak, which is the
longest of his career. This past Sunday against the Indians he allowed
just two runs over six and a third innings, striking out four and
walking one. He’s been prone to giving up home runs, but showed
progress keeping the ball down in the strike zone, resulting in
thirteen ground balls as opposed to a pair of fly balls. Expect Maddon
to emphasize the same strategy against the Yankees powerful lineup.
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