Whenever you see a statistical item like this:
Rays Vs. Yankees: Sabathia/Shields Duel Lives Up To The Hype
Over his last five outings, Sabathia had been 5-0 with a 0.45 earned run average. The last Yankee to win five straight starts with a lower E.R.A., according to the Elias Sports Bureau, was Fritz Peterson (0.41) in 1968.
... you can be pretty much assured that the pitcher in question, CC Sabathia, isn't going to win his next start. That's what happened Thursday night in Tampa, but not because Sabathia didn't pitch well. He and the Rays' James Shields had locked up in a terrific pitchers' duel on July 10 at Yankee Stadium, won by Sabathia, but Thursday was Shields' day to shine.
Evan Longoria hit a first-inning home run off Sabathia and Sam Fuld -- remember him? -- tripled in another Tampa Bay run in the fifth inning, after Elliott Johnson drew a two-out walk off Sabathia.
Meanwhile, Shields was mowing down Yankees. Through seven innings he had allowed just four singles. But he tired in the eighth and doubles from Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano resulted in a New York run, making the score 2-1 and bringing Joe Maddon out to remove Shields. The Rays' bullpen, maligned at times this year, came through; Kyle Farnsworth posted his 19th save of the season. If you are a fan of the five other teams (Cubs, Braves, Tigers, Royals and Yankees) that Farnsworth has pitched for in his career, the fact that he has become a reliable closer for a playoff contender likely comes as a big surprise to you.
Nevertheless, the win closed the Rays to within 5.5 games of the Yankees, who currently lead the American League wild card race. The teams will play nine more times this year, including the final three games of the season at the Trop. The Rays don’t have some of the firepower or bullpen that they had last year, when they won the AL East. But they’re hanging in there. Should be an interesting stretch run.
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