Now the Yankees have to face the ace of the first-place Rays’ rotation.
That’s right, the first-place Rays.
After managing two runs in 19 innings against Matt Garza and Edwin Jackson, the not-so Bombers go up against Jamie Shields tonight. In Shields’ previous outing he one-hit the Angels in a complete-game shutout.
The Rays (23-16) are on an 11-game home winning streak and this is the latest they have found themselves on top of the AL East in their brief, but dismal, history.
The Yankees (19-21) have done little to slow the momentum in the first two games of the four-game set, which continues tonight (7:05, YES, WCBS) with Mike Mussina opposing Shields.
The pressure is on Mussina to have another solid performance. After a slow start, he has been impressive, 4-0 with a 3.13 ERA in his four starts leading to tonight.
“Obviously, [Mussina] threw a little bit harder before, [but] he’s always been a pitcher,” Joe Girardi said. “When you have a guy that knows how to pitch, I think it’s easier to adjust your game a little bit more than a guy that’s been overpowering and has never really had to pitch.
“Moose has just made minor adjustments, and it’s really helped him. a There’s a wide range of things going on there.”
Shields is in the midst of his best season, but the right-hander is 0-5 with a 7.86 ERA in his career against the Yankees.
“I’m not really that concerned about him,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “I just think that he’s off once in a while, and it has happened against the Yankees and the Red Sox. I don’t necessarily think it’s anything [to worry about].”
Shields will not be facing the same prolific lineup that has knocked him around in the past. The Yankees’ offense has struggled from the outset this season, but the loss of Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posadas has really been felt in St. Petersburg. Rodriguez’s return to the lineup is expected to be Tuesday.
The Yanks have done little with the few opportunities they have had in the series, going 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
“We didn’t have a lot of opportunities,” Girardi said. “But the few that we had, we squandered.”
Tonight’s Pitching Matchup:
RHP Mike Mussina (5-3, 4.36 ERA) Mussina showed a flash of his recent success when he faced Tampa Bay in his second start of the season. Mussina allowed one run over six innings and notched the win. Lifetime, Mussina is 17-7 with a 3.44 ERA against the Rays.
RHP Jamie Shields (4-2, 3.14 ERA) Shields got the loss at Yankee Stadium after giving up two runs over five innings in a 2-0 defeat April 6.
With mlb.com and AP