Friday, 4 a.m.
There are times their bats resemble toothpicks. There are times you swear they could not hit the baseball if it were on a tee.
Friday night, for instance.
The Tampa Bay Rays lost a 2-0 game to the New York Yankees. They managed just six hits (after getting four in their previous game) and were one-for-five (and didn’t score on the one) with runners in scoring position.
It was the first time the Rays (19-20) have been shut out this season.
It wasted a good debut by Taj Bradley, who has been injured. Bradley went six innings and allowed four hits and one run to the Yankees.
The Yankees had nine hits, including a home run and a run-scoring single by Anthony Rizzo.
The Rays didn’t manage the bases very well. Jose Caballero was out at third in the third, Isaac Paredes was out at second in the seventh and Randy Arozarena was picked off of first in the sixth. The Rays loaded the bases in the ninth, but couldn’t get a run home.
Yandy Diaz had two of the Rays’ six hits.
The Rays and Yankees play again today at 4:10 p.m. The Yankees will start Zack Littell against Nestor Cortez.