On a rainy day in the Bronx, the Rays hit and fielded and the bullpen just managed to hold on enough to win the game and the series.
The Rays first run, in the top of the second innings, was what we are now calling a Simpson Speed Run (defined as a run where Simpson’s speed played a deciding role at some point in the sequence leading to said run).
The bases were loaded after a single, a one base error, and a walk, and Simpson hit a perfect double play ball. The Yankee crowd cheered in anticipation of the two outs, I sighed thinking “why, why?” but then when I looked the Yankees had indeed gotten the out at second but Simpson beat the throw to first by quite a bit, earning the RBI.
But the bases were left loaded when Brandon Lowe came up into what seemed like a perfect Brandon Lowe situation — facing a righty with bad control and meh stuff – but he struck out on three pitches.
This has led to a discussion among our writers. Is Lowe:
- Just slumping, he’ll be fine.
- Injured (he has had nagging back problems in the past, is that affecting his swing?)
- Cooked for good (he’s only 30! please no.)
If run number one was speed and small ball, run number two was a monstrous Jonathan Aranda home run. He hit it to right field but he didn’t need a short porch
Oh wait before we give up on Lowe, he came up again with bases loaded in the fourth inning and just time came through with a two RBI single! So maybe he’s fine! And then Chandler gave us another patented Simpson Speed Run, scoring on a Diaz infield hit.
Taj Bradley, starting for the Rays, did himself no favors, walking the lead off batter in the first 2 innings and needing 40 pitches to get through two. He mixed it up a bit in the third by giving up hard singles to the first two batters. Walls started a a really nifty double play to erase two batters, and Bellinger grounded to end the inning. Phew! He had a couple of less stressful innings, but the Yankees did finally get on the board in the sixth inning after a single and a Cody Bellinger home run.
Bradley walked the next batter, and Kevin Cash decided it was about to turn ugly, replacing him with Mason Montgomery to face Jasson Dominguez. We can’t really say that Dominguez was fooled by Montgomery’s pitch, because he hit it 107mph, but the hard grounder found the glove of Curtis Mead, playing third base, and he started an inning-ending double play.
After the Yankees pulled within three in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Rays responded with two runs of their own. The Rays loaded the bases after Walls singled, Simpson laid down a bunt that maybe could have been a sac bunt except he beat it out for an infield hit. Lowe walked, and then Aranda, having himself quite a day, singled to make the score 7-2.
But as it turns out, the Rays needed pretty much all of those seven runs. In the bottom of the eighth inning, facing first Mason Englert and then Edwin Uceta, the Yankees rallied on an Aaron Judge double and a procession of walks and singles to add another three runs. Once more a double play prevented the inning from becoming even more problematic for the Rays.
That was the ending of scoring as Pete Fairbanks pitched the bottom of the ninth a struck out the side for the save.
I can feel for Yankee fans because this is the sort of loss that can drive you crazy — so many chances that they couldn’t cash in, leaving seven men on base and hitting into three double plays.
OK I lied I can never actually feel for Yankee fans. But all of us can recall living through this kind of game.
Meanwhile if you are a Rays fan, you are feeling great about Aranda (3 for 4 with a home run and three RBI), Jankowski (who? the new outfielder, who went 3 for 5), and Walls, who had a four hit day. You are marveling how Chandler Simpson could have been such a key offensive sparkplug without hitting a ball out of the infield (he did line out to centerfield in the eighth but it was caught for an out)
You are grateful for an infield capable of turning three crucial and not routine double plays. And you are thankful that the Pete Fairbanks who seemingly could simply stare his way to a strikeout is back, baby.
