The first two games the Yankees played at Tropicana Field since the park\u2019s reopening have proceeded quite\u2026troppily, if you will. New York\u2019s anemic offense was at least able to find a pair of go-ahead hits from Jos\u00e9 Caballero in yesterday\u2019s 10-inning defeat, though the bullpen wasted little time coughing up the meager advantage to the Rays both times. Altogether, these games have lacked any sort of satisfying narrative flow\u2014if you cynically expected the Yankees to trip over their own feet you were generally proven right within a couple of plate appearances.<\/p>\n
So, with their lead over the AL East whittled down to just one game, Cam Schlittler and the Bombers will attempt to salvage the final game of this weekend set in St. Petersburg and snap a four-game skid which has halted the good vibes of their 8-2 start. Schlittler will get his first taste of action in this ersatz stadium. We\u2019ll see how he does!<\/p>\n
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Cam\u2019s lengthy scoreless streak was finally snapped by the Athletics in his last go-round when they tagged him for three runs in the third inning of a five-inning start. The tall righty collected himself after that point, and Amed Rosario\u2019s heroics would deliver them the win. The Yankees haven\u2019t won since then. Grabbing the initiative early hasn\u2019t seemed to do the trick; they started with a lead in three of these four straight defeats. It\u2019ll be up to Schlittler to keep down a typically pesky Rays offense and give New York some runway to finally get their bats clicking on full cylinders.<\/p>\n
Of course, Schlittler\u2019s opponent is yet another pitcher who has enjoyed great success against men in pinstripes. Drew Rasmussen, who was reinstated from the family medical emergency list today, has a 1.19 ERA across seven appearances (six of them starts). He\u2019s picked up 44 strikeouts over 37.2 innings, with a mere five total runs allowed across those games. As if the Yanks didn\u2019t have their hands full enough already! The silver lining is that the 30-year-old right-hander doesn\u2019t tend to pitch very deep into games. He was five-and-dive in his first two starts, allowing one run to a pair of NL Central teams in St. Louis and Milwaukee.<\/p>\n
Seeking a spark, the Yankees have shuffled their lineup around a bit. There are six lefties in today\u2014though Rasmussen is as platoon-neutral as it gets. Ben Rice has moved up to the second spot in the order ahead of Aaron Judge, who will DH. Randal Grichuk, who is still hunting his first Yankee hit, will fill in at right field. Ryan McMahon gets another start at the hot corner and J.C. Escarra will catch the day game after a night game.<\/p>\n
How to Watch:<\/p>\n
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Location: Tropicana Field \u2014 St. Petersburg, FL<\/p>\n
First Pitch: 1:40 pm EDT<\/p>\n
TV broadcast: YES\/Rays.TV<\/p>\n
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660\/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 \/ WDAE 95.7 FM, WQBN\/1300AM<\/p>\n
Online stream: MLB Network (out-of-market-only)<\/p>\n
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