The Yankees were rolling, having taken two of three games from the Red Sox then sweeping the Blue Jays in four games at home. This series against the Rays didn't begin the way the Yankees hoped it would. Hiroki Kuroda, who has been one of the best pitchers in the American League, got tagged for four home runs and seven earned runs in six innings of work. Every pitcher has his rough stretches and it looks like Kuroda is going through his right now after taking a loss at Fenway Park on Saturday. Kuroda is now 11-9 on the season and his ERA has taken a bit of a hit, standing at 2.71 after being under 2.35 two starts ago. Regardless, Kuroda is still a force in the rotation because opposing hitters don't look forward to facing him. With Andy Pettitte coming around, it is not as big of a deal to watch Kuroda go through his funk. However, the Yankees are scratching for wins right now as the number of games left of the schedule are dwindling and the Yankees still find themselves in fourth place, just behind the Orioles.
Again for the Yankees, their offense was not clicking. Brett Gardner was one of two Yankee batters to have a multi-hit game, with two hits. He also scored the only two Yankee runs and hit his eighth triple of the year against Archer who was brilliant against the Yankees again. Chris Archer won against the Yankees again, his third win against them this season. The rookie knows how to keep the hitters off balance and uses it to his advantage. The Yankees need to figure this guy out because he isn't leaving the division anytime soon.
The Yankees have some task at hand over the next two days as they get the pleasure of facing David Price tomorrow night with CC Sabathia on the mound for the Bombers. It will be tough to score runs off Price if he pitches at even half of what he is capable of. Sabathia has to limit the damage which will be difficult because the Rays have owned him this year, and more than owned, they have hammered Sabathia in each and every start he has made against them this year.
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