Raising the AL Championship banner with the Yankees visiting the house. Could it be any sweeter?
What to watch for: It’s the return of B.J. Upton. The lineup should feel a whole lot more dynamic with him up top.
Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
Scott Kazmir - The left-hander enjoyed a nice spring that saw him find his slider and lock in his mechanics. He built on those results in his first start of the season Wednesday night at Fenway Park when he threw 111 pitches in six innings against the Red Sox, allowing just one run on five hits and a walk with three strikeouts to pick up his first win of the season. Kazmir is 21-14 with a 3.11 ERA in 60 career starts at Tropicana Field. He is 4-4 with a 2.51 ERA in 12 career appearances against the Yankees; last season he went 2-1 with a 1.06 ERA in three starts against New York.
Chien-Ming Wang - Making his first start since a season-ending injury last June, Wang was rapped for seven runs and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings by the Orioles in his 2009 debut. He struggled with command of his sinker, leaving after a Nick Markakis home run. Wang said that his body was moving ahead of his right arm, which has been lagging behind on pitches — an issue he also battled during the spring. Though it has carried into the regular season, Wang remains confident it will be addressed. He is 7-4 with a 3.35 ERA in 13 career starts against Tampa Bay, including a 1-0 record with a 0.69 ERA in two starts last season.
| TAMPA BAY RAYS |
NEW YORK YANKEES |
| CF – B.J. Upton | |
| LF – Carl Crawford | |
| 3B - Evan Longoria | |
| 1B – Carlos Pena | |
| DH – Pat Burrell | |
| C – Dioner Navarro | |
| RF – Gabe Gross | |
| SS – Jason Bartlett | |
| 2B – Akinori Iwamura |
Be sure to join other fans in the chat room for some Rays talk during the game!!!
Tags: Yankees
April 14th, 2009 at 6:39 am
Hey, I got one of my predictions right. I said at Pat the Bat would homer in his home debut, and I was right. That was one of the biggest a$$-whoopin’s I’ve ever seen in a major league game. I’m picking Matt Garza to pick up where Kazmir left off last night, and he’ll go 7 innings, give up 2 ER, and strike out 11. The Yankees look lost right now, and besides Burnett and Sabathia, maybe they’re not as improved as everyone thought.
April 14th, 2009 at 11:32 am
My sign yesterday made TV “They $pend, We Win”
My sign today “We’re Making A Yankee Pot Roast”
GO RAYS
April 14th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
I liked Monday’s game better :P
April 14th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
Game 2 of Skanks series….Wheeler gives me a creepy feeling every time he takes the mound. He has NO command presence and just seems to be spinning the luck wheel at each outing. When Price comes up the Rays may want to trade him and keep Niemann. Tonight’s Wheeler collapse was embarrassing.
April 15th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand Jeter gets us two nights in a row…