Coming fresh off of a three-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays, the Yankees look to carry that momentum into this four-game set.
- Tampa Bay Rays (59-79)
- New York Yankees (73-65)
- American League, 7:05 PM ET, YES Network
- Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Following a much-needed victory on Wednesday night to complete the three-game sweep against the Toronto Blue Jays, the New York Yankees are riding a wave of momentum into a four-game series against the last-place Tampa Bay Rays.
New York enters this series currently on a four-game winning streak and a season-high eight games over .500 as they will be aiming to lengthen this narrative while coming into this pivotal series.
Over the last week, the Yankees have found a way to make themselves, contenders in the playoff hunt. They are now only 2.5 games back of the second wild-card spot as well as now being only four games back of first place in the East.
Tonight, the Yankees will send veteran Left-hander CC Sabathia to the mound, to extend the streak to five while making his team’s playoff hopes even more legitimate.
The lefty is coming off of an outing against the Baltimore Orioles where he gave up one earned run in six innings, which somehow gave him a loss because the offense could not find a way to provide him with run support.
In two games started against the Rays in 2016, Sabathia has an ERA of 5.06 with six earned runs given up in 10.2 innings pitched. He will be looking to improve from these previously failed starts and give the Yankees a chance to win.
Opposing him will be Rays pitcher, Alex Cobb. This will only be Cobb’s second start of the season after missing more than a year of action.
Cobb returned to a major league mound for the first time in 18 months last Friday, where he gave up two earned runs in five innings against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Lineups:
#Yankees lineup (6p on YES): Gardner LF
Ellsbury CF
Sanchez DH
Gregorius SS
Castro 2B
McCann C
Headley 3B
Austin 1B
Judge RFP: Sabathia
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) September 8, 2016
Player To Watch:
Castro is coming fresh off of a solid game last night where he went 1-for-4 with a solo home run. It may not seem like much, but it was a crucial run in the Yankees 2-0 victory over the Blue Jays.
He will be looking to keep that hot bat alive and help carry the Yankees to what would be their fifth straight victory and help them gain some ground in the standings.
Castro has not seen Cobb much in his career, but in three at-bats against him, he is 1-for-3.
Clutch pitching and Castro’s homer seal vital sweep of Blue Jays in 2-0 win! #StartSpreadingTheNews pic.twitter.com/uEdqJSvmWh
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 8, 2016
This Day In Yankees History:
On September 8, 2007, Yankees third-baseman Alex Rodriguez launches his 50th and 51st home run of the season. These home runs made him only the fourth player in Yankees history to hit 50 or more home runs in a season, he joined a very illustrious class of Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, and Mickey Mantle. A-Rod would then go on to win the AL MVP award at season’s end due to this spectacular performance.
Bold Prediction:
Sabathia will give the Yankees six strong innings giving up only one run, and Gary Sanchez will hit a three-run home run which will lead the Yankees to a 4-1 victory in game one.
