Rays’ errors pave the way for Yankees’ win

by Gary Shelton on June 15, 2022

in general

Wednesday, 4 a.m.

If the first half of the baseball season has proven nothing else, it's that the New York Yankees are pretty good.

The last thing they need is more help.

But the Yankees got it Tuesday night from the Rays, and perhaps from the replay booth, in a 2-0 victory over Tampa Bay. Both runs were unearned as the Rays struggled in the filed in the fourth inning.






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The Yankees scored both runs on one hit, a walk and two outfield errors by the Rays. That inning meant that a solid start by Corey Kluber, who went six innings, was wasted.

With one out, Giancarlo Stanton walked. Right fielder Manny Margot dropped a routine fly to right field. With two out, Isiah Liner-Falefa singled to left. Randy Arozarena seemed to have a shot at Stanton at the plate, but his throw home was impossibly high, allowing Glayber Torres to score.

“You hate to see the outcome of game turn that way," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "At that point, that was a pretty big couple of moments there. Manny’s as good as any right fielder in baseball. It was a little uncharacteristic. Randy was trying to make a play on a ball. If he makes  a good throw, we’ve got a play at the play -- close."

The Rays struggled against Yankees' pitcher Gerrit Cole, who ran his record to 6--1. The Rays managed seven hits -- all singles -- but left eight men on base and were one-for-six with runners in scoring position.

"I don’t think you can  discount the fact it is Garret Cole," Cash said. "He’s making big pitch after big pitch. We had a couple of opportunities. It seems liked he really did a nice job of picking himself up after a throwing error."

The closest the Rays came to scoring was in the sixth, when they loaded the bases with one out. On the first pitch that Arozarena saw, however, one that appeared to be out of the strike zone, hit grounded into a double play.

During the inning, Yandy Diaz was called out on a replay when Cole seemed to have thrown wide of the bag.

“Bad call and I thought it cost us the game," Diaz said. "I think a 5-year-old would have been able to see I was safe at second."

The Rays fell 10 games behind the Yankees in the American League East with the loss.

Today, the teams play again at Yankee Stadium at 7:10 p.m. Shane McClanahan will start for the Rays against Nestor Cortes.


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