The New York Yankees have lost their last five of six games all but ending their hopes of getting Derek Jeter to the postseason in his final year with the team. Things came to blows on Tuesday night after several batters were hit by pitches, causing Joe Girardi to lose his cool. With playoff chances on life support, the Yankees are desperate for a win on Wednesday night.
Girardi was promptly ejected on Tuesday night after running onto the field when Jeter was hit by a pitch from Steve Geltz. It was the fifth time a Yankees batter has been hit by the Rays in the last five meetings. David Phelps was also tossed when he threw inside to Kevin Kiermaier. The dugouts cleared as things came to blows. Girardi admits he is concerned about his team considering their lack of offense. They have just seven runs to their name in a 1-5 stretch while going 3 for 34 with runners in scoring position.
Injuries are stacking up for the Yankees. Martin Prado is out after undergoing an appendectomy. He was batting .316 average in 37 games. He has seven home runs and 16 RBIs since getting traded from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mark Teixeira will also be out after injuring his wrist. It is unclear if he will return for the remainder of the season or not.
The Rays will send Alex Cobb to the mound who is expected not to hit anyone. He is 7-1 with a 0.92 ERA in his last 14 starts. In his last game against the Yankees, he struck out eight over seven innings. In his last seven games against the team, he is 5-0 with a 1.24 ERA while posting a 1.69 career ERA against the American League team.
The Yankees will start Brandon McCarthy who is coming off a rough patch with the team after allowing nine runs over 12 innings in back-to-back starts. But he bounced back well after striking out seven against the Baltimore Orioles. He is 3-0 with a 0.88 ERA against the Yankees in his past four games against the team.
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