Wednesday, 4 a.m.
He can be a runaway horse, out of control, reckless.
And he can be a thoroughbred, racing at full speed with his eyes on the finish line.
Either way, Randy Arozarena is a thrill ride, a white-knuckle trip across a baseball field. Try to keep up with him, would you?
Once again, Arozarena was the biggest player in the Rays' 3-1 victory over the slumping New York Yankees Tuesday night.
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Arozarena hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the first -- his fourth homer in six games -- and just like that, the Yankees were toast.
"We know when he gets going, he can carry a massive load for us," said Rays' manager Kevin Cash. "I don’t want to put pressure on hm, but we’ll certainly take it.
"On any given night, he can be as talented as anyone on the field."
The Rays managed just four hits for the night, but three of them came in the first. Singles by Yandy Diaz and Isaac Paredes preceded Arozarena's homer.
That was all the Rays’ pitchers needed. In two nights in the Bronx, the Rays have held the Yankees to one run and 11 hits. The Yankees have lost 11 of 13 games.
Jeffrey Springs started things with five innings of two-hit baseball Tuesday night. Four relievers shut out the Yankees the rest of the way.
“We’re talking about fastball command,” Cash said. “When he’s got that going, it seems everything else opens up.”
The teams play again tonight at Yankee Stadium at 7:05 p.m. Corey Kluber will start for the Rays against Domingo German.