Trio of homers from Modern Day Murderers' Row and Luis Severino's stellar performance lead Yankees to 7-2 win over Rays

After scoring 11 runs on Tuesday, the Yankees’ offense stayed hot on Wednesday afternoon, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 7-2. Wednesday’s game was delayed for over an hour due to rain in the Bronx, but the weather did not affect New York’s power strokes, as Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez, and Aaron Judge all went deep. On the other side of the ball, Yankees’ starter Luis Severino was in control, picking up his second win in as many starts. With the win, the Yankees swept the short two-game set against their American League East rivals, moving their record to 4-2 on the young season.

Photo Credit: Kathy Willens | AP

After falling behind in the top of the first, it did not take long for the Yankees to get on top. Brett Gardner started off the day offensively for the Yankees, reaching on an infield single off of Tampa Bay starter Blake Snell in the first. Then, with one out in the inning, Stanton stepped up seeking redemption for his five strikeout performance on Tuesday. Redemption came in the form of a two-run big fly to the back of the left field bleachers, Stanton’s third HR of the season, making it a 2-1 Yankees lead.

The Yankees extended their lead in the third thanks to some more power. First, Judge showed off his impressive eye, working a walk to start the frame. After a Stanton strikeout, Sanchez, who was in the lineup as the designated hitter on Wednesday, stroked a 3-1 Snell offering into the seats in left. The homer was Sanchez’s first of the season, and it made it a 4-1 New York advantage.

The Bronx Bombers weren’t done yet. After Tampa Bay lifted Snell, it was time for New York to beat up on the Rays’ bullpen. After a Ronald Torreyes RBI-single off of reliever Matt Andriese made the score 5-1, it was time for Judge to join to power party. Judge sent a 3-2 Andriese offering into the seats in left, making it 7-1 New York. Like Sanchez, it was Judge’s first big fly of 2018.

Tampa Bay struck first, getting to Severino in the top of the first inning. After a strikeout of Denard Span to start the game, Severino gave up a single to the speedy Kevin Kiermaier. C.J. Cron chased Kiermaier home with a double to center, giving the Rays a short-lived 1-0 lead. Severino escaped further damage thanks to a nice lunging grab by Torreyes to rob Wilson Ramos of a bloop single. Severino settled down after the first, working seven and a third innings of two-run ball en route to his second victory of the season.

 

Photo Credit: Kathy Willens | AP

Winning Pitcher: Luis Severino (2-0): 7.1 IP, 5 H, 7 K, 2 ER

Losing Pitcher: Blake Snell (0-1): 3.1 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 5 ER

Notables

Aaron Judge: 1-for-3, HR (1), 2 RBIs, BB

Gary Sanchez: 1-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBIs

Giancarlo Stanton: 1-for-4, HR (3), 2 RBIs, 3 Ks

What’s Next?

The Yankees stay home, as they begin a four-game set with their American League East rivals, the Baltimore Orioles, on Thursday evening. Coming off a solid outing in his first start of the season, Masahiro Tanaka takes the ball for New York. Tanaka went six innings, allowing one earned run and racking up eight strikeouts in his season debut in Toronto. Baltimore counters with the newly acquired Andrew Cashner. Cashner, who played the entirety of the 2017 season with the Texas Rangers, struggled in his first outing as an Oriole, allowing four earned over five innings against the Minnesota Twins. First pitch from Yankee Stadium is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

Article by: Jonathan Kohut

Follow @TheRealKohut Follow @BronxBomberBall