NEW YORK -- With another crucial series against the Red Sox
just one day away, the Yankees found themselves befuddled by
another American League East rival on Thursday -- one that has
baffled them throughout the 2005 campaign.
The Devil Rays jumped out to a big lead, then held off another
late-inning charge by the Bombers, as Tampa Bay took a 7-4 win
over New York.
The Yankees have dropped 11 of their 16 meetings with the Devil
Rays this season. New York has not won any of the five series
between the two clubs, splitting one and dropping four.
Chien-Ming Wang, starting for the first time since July 8, allowed
three straight hits to start the game, including back-to-back doubles
by Carl Crawford and Jorge Cantu. The second two-bagger scored a run,
giving Cantu his first 100-RBI season. Jonny Gomes added an RBI single,
as the Rays took a 2-0 lead.
Derek Jeter opened the bottom of the first with a single, but little did
the Yankees know that it would be their only hit for a while against Tampa
Bay starter Mark Hendrickson. The towering left-hander retired the next 13
batters, as the Yankees didn't get another baserunner until Jorge Posada
walked with one out in the fifth.
Hendrickson retired four of the next five batters after the walk, his only
mistake coming on a one-out walk of Jeter in the sixth. But he quickly erased
that by getting Bernie Williams to ground into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double
play.
Wang allowed three runs on eight hits in five innings, walking two and
striking out two. Relievers Wayne Franklin and Scott Proctor combined to
give up three runs in the sixth, as Tampa Bay stormed out to a 6-0 lead.
After six innings of one-hit ball, the Yankees' offense finally broke through
in the seventh. After Hideki Matsui doubled and Alex Rodriguez beat out an
infield single, Jason Giambi doubled in New York's first run. An RBI groundout
by Posada plated a second run, and on the next pitch, Ruben Sierra drilled a
two-run homer, cutting the Rays' lead to two.
Chad Orvella got the final out of the seventh and the first two in the eighth,
but Matsui doubled with two outs, bringing A-Rod to the plate as the tying run.
Rays closer Danys Baez came in to retire Rodriguez, and then he pitched a
scoreless ninth to earn his 35th save.
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