ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — His shoulders are broad enough to support the heaviest loads and the mind is built tough to deal with deep problems.
So, when CC Sabathia says the two mistakes he made last night were the reason the Yankees lost, 2-1, to the Rays in front of 29,279 at Tropicana Field, he isn’t dealing BS.
Sabathia truly believes the breaking ball to Evan Longoria and the slider to Sam Fuld that went for a homer and RBI triple, respectively, beat the Yankees.
In reality, their inability to do much against James Shields was the reason Sabathia’s seven-game winning streak ended and his Cy Young bid was interrupted.
“Two mistakes by me and that cost us the game,” said Sabathia, whose eight-inning outing credited him with his third complete game of the season. His first loss since June 9 dropped Sabathia’s record to 14-5.
The defeat pushed the Yankees two games behind the idle Red Sox in the AL East and sent the Yankees home with a split of an eight-game, two-city road trip that opened with two losses in Toronto.
Longoria swatted a first-inning curveball into the left-field seats. Fuld, a left-handed hitting No. 9 batter, tripled to right in the fifth off a misplaced slider after Sabathia worked around the switch-hitting Elliot Johnson to get to Fuld.
“I wanted it down and away and it stayed in,” Sabathia said of the two-strike pitch.
It was the second time in 11 days Sabathia and Shields, who stopped a four-game losing streak and improved to 9-8 with a 2.53 ERA, produced a pitching gem. On June 10 at Yankee Stadium, Sabathia beat Shields, 1-0, because of Shields’ throwing error trying to pick Robinson Cano off third.
Last night’s duel wasn’t as crisp but it was certainly enjoyable to watch if pitching is your thing.
Sabathia allowed two runs, five hits, tied a season-high with four walks, and fanned eight. Shields, who improved to 4-10 against the Yankees, used a tantalizing change-up to limit them to a run and six hits in 7 2/3 innings.
Derek Jeter doubled with one out in the eighth and scored on Cano’s two-out double to cut the deficit to a run.
When Russell Martin produced a one-out single in the ninth against former Yankee flop Kyle Farnsworth, the Yankees had a chance. But Farnsworth overpowered Eduardo Nunez with a 97-mph fastball for the second out and fanned Curtis Granderson with a breaking ball to seal the victory.
“His change-up is as good as anyone in our league,” Jeter said of Shields, who is coveted by the Tigers who had two scouts watching the game. “We didn’t get much going.”
Considering the questions behind Sabathia in the rotation — age and health with Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon; inconsistency from A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes making his way back from the DL — when Sabathia pitches the Yankees are looking at must wins.
Last night he more than did his part, but when you don’t hit, you can’t win.
It’s nice that Sabathia is accountable. But the blame he put on those thick shoulders was in the wrong place. It belonged in the bat rack.