Yankees Bullpen Can't Hold On

After a solid outing by Kuroda, the Yankee bullpen came into the game and one by one, gave up hit after hit. Cabral hit three batters with pitches before getting ejected from the game. It was clear that the hit by pitches were unintentional, but it shows how inept he is at getting outs. Following the game, Cabral was designated for assignment by the Yankees. Hiroki Kuroda left the game in the sixth with two outs because of an elevated pitch count, but had he finished the sixth inning, maybe the Yankees would have won, Cabral would not have been DFA'd and David Phelps wouldn't have suffered an injury, which is becoming a common occurrence for Phelps in recent years. If he wants a chance to start for the Yankees in the future he needs to be more durable.

The offense scored five runs tonight, highlighted by a bases clearing double hit by Scott Sizemore in the second inning off Erik Bedard. However, the big hit would not hold up in the grand scheme of things as the bullpen couldn't hold on and the offense couldn't add on. This was a night to forget for the Yankees, as it looks like Tampa has returned to being a house of horrors for the Bombers.

On a brighter note, the Yankees have a chance to get back on track tomorrow, as they still have the lead in the division and can bounce back because of the veteran presence on their ball club. Ivan Nova will start tomorrow against the Rays. Pitching for the Rays will be Chris Archer. Archer is a young prospect who pitched last year and beat the Yankees a couple of times. He has an explosive fastball and great breaking pitches, which are often missed by bats.