Rays: 4, Yankees: 2 - King Bross

After the Rays 6-3 win over the Yankees last night, the Rays are looking for another series win against the Yankees with the Rays’ Tyler Glasnow against Yankees’ Tyler Glasnow in a 2019 ALDS Game 5 rematch.

Let’s hope the result is different.

Both teams would start the game with zeros, until Ji-Man Choi got things started in the 2nd inning with a HR off of Gerrit Cole.

Ji-Man Choi is 6 for 9 with two HRs in his career against Cole.

The 2nd inning started with an insane catch by Yankees’ 3rd baseman Gio Urshela in the Yankees’ dugout to get Manuel Margot out.

More support came in the 2nd inning off a Mike Zunino HR (yes, you read that right), and the Rays had a quick 2-0 lead. Any lead against Gerrit Cole is a good lead.

The lead was quickly cut in half as Luke Voit smacked a Tyler Glasnow 98 MPH fastball into the right field bleachers.

Not a bad pitch to be honest. DRaysBay’s Homin Lee makes a good point.

Tyler Glasnow

After the Voit HR, Glasnow was locked in, retiring the next 7 batters in a row, and kept the but the next hit given up was a 6th inning opening triple by Aaron Hicks. Glasnow then walked Luke Voit to put runners on first and third with nobody out, and Gio Urshela up to bat.

Yankees tie it on the sac fly. Glasnow would strike Mike Ford with a perfectly placed curveball on his 88th pitch. That would be enough as Cash would come out and replace Britton for Ryan Thompson, who got the Rays out of the 6th inning with a tie score of 2-2.

Glasnow’s line for the night: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, and 8 Ks. Although not as long as he (or the Rays) would like, it was a good pitch count, and Glasnow’s pitches looked sharp.

Per Baseball Savant, Glasnow threw his fastball only 55% of the time tonight, compared to 64% for the season. His curveballs were 38% tonight vs 33% on the season, and his 93 MPH “changeups”, were also up, 8 % tonight compared to 3% on season.

His presence in the rotation will be needed as Rays’ pitchers seem to keep going down.

Rays wouldn’t be able to get more runs against Gerrit Cole, but the Rays’ patience at the plate did pay off as they got Cole to 109 pitches, and only 6.2 IP.

King Bross

Rays had a few breaks in the top of the 8th, with Yandy Diaz opening the inning by taking advantage of a Yankees error and making it to second base. A wild pitch would put Yandy at third with nobody out. Brandon Lowe came back from 0-2 to earn a walker, and the Rays have runners on the corners with nobody out and LHP masher Jose Martinez at the plate, but he would ground out into a fielders choice, with Gio Urshela getting Yandy out at the plate to keep the game tied 2-2.

Cash lifted Ji-Man Choi for Mike Brosseau, who took a Zach Britton hanging sinker back up the middle and gave the Rays’ a 3-2 lead.

Aaron Boone kept Zach Britton in for Willy Adames, who added to the Rays’ total after swinging away at a 3-0 pitch.

SMH, Rays are up and Adames just swings away. Disrespectful.

Bullpen shuts it down, but not without drama.

The Rays’ bullpen continues to live up to expectations as a combination of Thompson, Peter Fairbanks, and Nick Anderson got the Rays to the 9th inning with a 4-2 lead.

Home plate umpire Jansen Visconti had been calling an impeccably fair strike zone all night, which for pitchers like Chase Roe did not bode well. Roe walked both Gleybar Torres and Gary Sanchez to open the 9th inning, bringing the winning run in Brett Gardner to the plate. Thankfully Roe got Gardner to line out, and Cash quickly went to Jalen Beeks to slam the door.

It only took Beeks 7 pitches to get the final two outs.

Rays Bullpen: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, & 6 Ks.

FINAL: Rays: 4, Yankees: 2

Fun Facts:

• Rays have won 10 of their last 11
• Rays are 8 - 1 on their 10 game road trip
• Rays snapped the Yankees’ 27 series non-losing streak at Yankee Stadium
• Rays’ are the first team to win at Yankee Stadium this season
• Rays are the first team the Yankees’ have lost a series to this season.
• The Tampa Bay Rays are 0.5 games for 1st place in the AL East behind the Yankees going into tomorrow’s series finale.

Rays will look to complete the sweep, and take 1st place in the AL East, and end the road trip in dominant fashion.

Game time is 12:30 PM EST.