ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Pitch by pitch, Chris Archer set the tone for what he and the Tampa Bay Rays hope will be a bounce-back year.
Not such a good start for Masahiro Tanaka and the New York Yankees.
Archer pitched seven solid innings, and the Rays roughed up Tanaka on the way to beating New York 7-3 in the first game of the new Major League Baseball season Sunday.
"We didn't play perfect, but we played well enough to win," Archer said. "We scored a lot of runs and made some nice defensive plays. It's all about winning, and we did that."
And what the Rays didn't do a lot of last season, when they sank to the bottom of the AL East with their worst finish (68-94) since 2007.
New York lost on opening day for the sixth consecutive year, with Tanaka matching the shortest start ever by a Yankees pitcher in an opener.
"It happens. He's human," Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild said. "He just didn't command anything. ... He usually self corrects real well. But today, he tried a few things and it just didn't work."
Evan Longoria and Logan Morrison homered and drove in three runs apiece before a sellout crowd of 31,042 at Tropicana Field. Tanaka, who had baseball's lowest ERA in spring training, was tagged for a career-worst seven earned runs in 2 2/3 innings.
A first-time All-Star in 2015 who lost an AL-leading 19 times last season, Archer (1-0) limited New York to two runs and seven hits. He narrowly escaped a bases-loaded jam in the seventh to turn a five-run lead over to a revamped bullpen.
Rays manager Kevin Cash said it was important to give his ace an opportunity to get through the seventh.
"I'm really happy he did, not only for my sake but the other guys on the staff, too," Archer said. " I want them to know when stuff gets hairy, you need to strap it on and go right after them. We don't need to be bailed out, we need to get out of the inning."
There were three games around in the majors on the first day, and the Rays got off to a quick start.
Leadoff man Corey Dickerson singled in the Tampa Bay first for the first hit of the season and later scored on Longoria's sacrifice fly as part of a three-run inning. Longoria connected for a two-run drive in the second.
Aaron Judge had a RBI double, while Starlin Castro and Chase Headley each had three hits for the Yankees.
Tanaka (0-1) made his third consecutive opening day start for the Yankees, and had been 6-0 with a 2.82 ERA in eight career starts against Tampa Bay. He gave up eight hits and two walks.
Longoria connected for his fourth homer on opening day. Morrison, who didn't drive in a run until May 17 last season, added a solo drive in the third.
"Obviously, you just have to accept it. I can't take it back," Tanaka said through a translator. "So, the main thing is, I really need to move forward from today. Make the necessary adjustments."
UNCHARACTERISTIC
Tanaka, who tied Hideo Nomo for the most opening day starts by a Japanese-born pitcher, had a seven-game winning streak stopped. He went 7-0 with a 2.28 ERA over his final nine starts of last season. ... Tanaka had won all three of his previous career starts at Tropicana Field, limiting the Rays to four earned runs in 20 innings for a 1.80 ERA. He led the AL with a 2.36 road ERA in 2016, trailing only the Mets' Noah Syndergaard (2.29) for the major league lead.
It was the second-shortest start of Tanka's career. He tied the Yankees shortest on opening day, joining Ron Guidry (1983) and Mel Stottlemyre (1973).
LEADING OFF
Dickerson, who hit 24 home runs last year, was 1 for 5 in his debut as Tampa Bay's leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching. Cash is considering moving right-handed batting Steven Souza Jr. to the top of the order against left-handers, beginning Tuesday against CC Sabathia.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Yankees: SS Didi Gregorius (right shoulder strain) expects to start limited baseball activities the middle of this week. He is out until some time in May. ... INF-OF Tyler Austin (broken left ankle) was placed on the 60-day disabled list.
Rays: Longoria, who sat out Tampa Bay's final spring training game due to a stiff neck, made his club-record ninth consecutive start on opening day. ... Seven players, including C Wilson Ramos, OF Colby Rasmus and SS Matt Duffy, begin the season on the disabled list.
UP NEXT
Yankees: LHP CC Sabathia, 3-7 in 14 starts at Tropicana Field since joining New York in 2009, is Tuesday night's scheduled starter. He's 2-0 against the Rays in three road starts over the last two seasons.
Rays: RHP Jake Odorizzi is set to work the second game of the series, which resumes after a day off. He went 7-1 with a 2.71 ERA in 14 outings after the All-Star break last year. He was the only Tampa Bay starter with a winning record, at 10-6, in 2016.
---
More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
76°
Clear
New York Yankees
Not such a good start for Masahiro Tanaka and the New York Yankees.
Archer pitched seven solid innings, and the Rays roughed up Tanaka on the way to beating New York 7-3 in the first game of the new Major League Baseball season Sunday.
"We didn't play perfect, but we played well enough to win," Archer said. "We scored a lot of runs and made some nice defensive plays. It's all about winning, and we did that."
And what the Rays didn't do a lot of last season, when they sank to the bottom of the AL East with their worst finish (68-94) since 2007.
New York lost on opening day for the sixth consecutive year, with Tanaka matching the shortest start ever by a Yankees pitcher in an opener.
"It happens. He's human," Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild said. "He just didn't command anything. ... He usually self corrects real well. But today, he tried a few things and it just didn't work."
Evan Longoria and Logan Morrison homered and drove in three runs apiece before a sellout crowd of 31,042 at Tropicana Field. Tanaka, who had baseball's lowest ERA in spring training, was tagged for a career-worst seven earned runs in 2 2/3 innings.
A first-time All-Star in 2015 who lost an AL-leading 19 times last season, Archer (1-0) limited New York to two runs and seven hits. He narrowly escaped a bases-loaded jam in the seventh to turn a five-run lead over to a revamped bullpen.
Rays manager Kevin Cash said it was important to give his ace an opportunity to get through the seventh.
"I'm really happy he did, not only for my sake but the other guys on the staff, too," Archer said. " I want them to know when stuff gets hairy, you need to strap it on and go right after them. We don't need to be bailed out, we need to get out of the inning."
There were three games around in the majors on the first day, and the Rays got off to a quick start.
Leadoff man Corey Dickerson singled in the Tampa Bay first for the first hit of the season and later scored on Longoria's sacrifice fly as part of a three-run inning. Longoria connected for a two-run drive in the second.
Aaron Judge had a RBI double, while Starlin Castro and Chase Headley each had three hits for the Yankees.
Tanaka (0-1) made his third consecutive opening day start for the Yankees, and had been 6-0 with a 2.82 ERA in eight career starts against Tampa Bay. He gave up eight hits and two walks.
Longoria connected for his fourth homer on opening day. Morrison, who didn't drive in a run until May 17 last season, added a solo drive in the third.
"Obviously, you just have to accept it. I can't take it back," Tanaka said through a translator. "So, the main thing is, I really need to move forward from today. Make the necessary adjustments."
UNCHARACTERISTIC
Tanaka, who tied Hideo Nomo for the most opening day starts by a Japanese-born pitcher, had a seven-game winning streak stopped. He went 7-0 with a 2.28 ERA over his final nine starts of last season. ... Tanaka had won all three of his previous career starts at Tropicana Field, limiting the Rays to four earned runs in 20 innings for a 1.80 ERA. He led the AL with a 2.36 road ERA in 2016, trailing only the Mets' Noah Syndergaard (2.29) for the major league lead.
It was the second-shortest start of Tanka's career. He tied the Yankees shortest on opening day, joining Ron Guidry (1983) and Mel Stottlemyre (1973).
LEADING OFF
Dickerson, who hit 24 home runs last year, was 1 for 5 in his debut as Tampa Bay's leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching. Cash is considering moving right-handed batting Steven Souza Jr. to the top of the order against left-handers, beginning Tuesday against CC Sabathia.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Yankees: SS Didi Gregorius (right shoulder strain) expects to start limited baseball activities the middle of this week. He is out until some time in May. ... INF-OF Tyler Austin (broken left ankle) was placed on the 60-day disabled list.
Rays: Longoria, who sat out Tampa Bay's final spring training game due to a stiff neck, made his club-record ninth consecutive start on opening day. ... Seven players, including C Wilson Ramos, OF Colby Rasmus and SS Matt Duffy, begin the season on the disabled list.
UP NEXT
Yankees: LHP CC Sabathia, 3-7 in 14 starts at Tropicana Field since joining New York in 2009, is Tuesday night's scheduled starter. He's 2-0 against the Rays in three road starts over the last two seasons.
Rays: RHP Jake Odorizzi is set to work the second game of the series, which resumes after a day off. He went 7-1 with a 2.71 ERA in 14 outings after the All-Star break last year. He was the only Tampa Bay starter with a winning record, at 10-6, in 2016.
---
More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
76°Clear
1:00PM,EDT,April 2,2017
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| New York - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Archer pitching for Tampa Bay | NYY | TB |
| Gardner flied out to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Sánchez grounded out to pitcher. | 0 | 0 |
| Bird walked. | 0 | 0 |
| Holliday grounded out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Masahiro Tanaka pitching for New York | NYY | TB |
| Dickerson singled to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Kiermaier doubled to center, Dickerson to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Longoria hit sacrifice fly to right, Dickerson scored. | 0 | 1 |
| Miller reached on infield single to second, Kiermaier to third. | 0 | 1 |
| Souza Jr. walked, Miller to second. | 0 | 1 |
| Morrison singled to center, Kiermaier and Miller scored, Souza Jr. to second. | 0 | 3 |
| Beckham lined out to center. | 0 | 3 |
| Smith struck out swinging. | 0 | 3 |
| 3 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Chris Archer pitching for Tampa Bay | NYY | TB |
| Ellsbury fouled out to left. | 0 | 3 |
| Castro reached on infield single to second. | 0 | 3 |
| Headley singled to left, Castro to second. | 0 | 3 |
| Judge doubled to left, Castro scored, Headley to third. | 1 | 3 |
| Torreyes grounded out to second, Headley scored, Judge to third. | 2 | 3 |
| Gardner grounded out to second. | 2 | 3 |
| 2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Masahiro Tanaka pitching for New York | NYY | TB |
| Norris grounded out to third. | 2 | 3 |
| Dickerson struck out swinging. | 2 | 3 |
| Kiermaier walked. | 2 | 3 |
| Longoria homered to left (346 feet), Kiermaier scored. | 2 | 5 |
| Miller flied out to center. | 2 | 5 |
| 2 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Chris Archer pitching for Tampa Bay | NYY | TB |
| Sánchez grounded out to shortstop. | 2 | 5 |
| Bird fouled out to left. | 2 | 5 |
| Holliday struck out swinging. | 2 | 5 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Masahiro Tanaka pitching for New York | NYY | TB |
| Souza Jr. struck out looking. | 2 | 5 |
| Morrison homered to center (414 feet). | 2 | 6 |
| Beckham doubled to left. | 2 | 6 |
| Smith reached on bunt single to catcher, Beckham scored, Smith to second on throwing error by catcher Sánchez. | 2 | 7 |
| Norris flied out to center, Smith to third. | 2 | 7 |
| Layne relieved Tanaka. | 2 | 7 |
| Dickerson lined out to second. | 2 | 7 |
| 2 Runs, 3 Hits, 1 Errors | ||
| New York - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Chris Archer pitching for Tampa Bay | NYY | TB |
| Ellsbury struck out swinging. | 2 | 7 |
| Castro singled to center. | 2 | 7 |
| Headley struck out swinging. | 2 | 7 |
| Judge fouled out to first. | 2 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Tommy Layne pitching for New York | NYY | TB |
| Kiermaier singled to shallow center. | 2 | 7 |
| Longoria struck out looking. | 2 | 7 |
| Miller struck out swinging, Kiermaier stole second. | 2 | 7 |
| Warren relieved Layne. | 2 | 7 |
| Souza Jr. flied out to left. | 2 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Chris Archer pitching for Tampa Bay | NYY | TB |
| Torreyes struck out looking. | 2 | 7 |
| Gardner grounded out to second. | 2 | 7 |
| Sánchez flied out to left. | 2 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Adam Warren pitching for New York | NYY | TB |
| Morrison grounded out to first. | 2 | 7 |
| Beckham struck out looking. | 2 | 7 |
| Smith grounded out to first. | 2 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Chris Archer pitching for Tampa Bay | NYY | TB |
| Bird flied out to center. | 2 | 7 |
| Holliday grounded out to shortstop. | 2 | 7 |
| Ellsbury grounded out to first. | 2 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Adam Warren pitching for New York | NYY | TB |
| Norris flied out to right. | 2 | 7 |
| Dickerson struck out swinging. | 2 | 7 |
| Kiermaier grounded out to shortstop. | 2 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Chris Archer pitching for Tampa Bay | NYY | TB |
| Castro singled to center. | 2 | 7 |
| Headley reached on bunt single to third, Castro to second. | 2 | 7 |
| Judge struck out swinging. | 2 | 7 |
| Hicks hit for Torreyes. | 2 | 7 |
| Hicks flied out to right. | 2 | 7 |
| Gardner singled to left, Castro to third, Headley to second. | 2 | 7 |
| Sánchez grounded out to shortstop. | 2 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Jonathan Holder pitching for New York | NYY | TB |
| Kozma at shortstop. | 2 | 7 |
| Hicks in left field. | 2 | 7 |
| Holder relieved Warren. | 2 | 7 |
| Longoria struck out swinging. | 2 | 7 |
| Miller singled to center. | 2 | 7 |
| Souza Jr. grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Miller out at second. | 2 | 7 |
| Morrison singled to right, Souza Jr. to second. | 2 | 7 |
| Beckham struck out swinging. | 2 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Danny Farquhar pitching for Tampa Bay | NYY | TB |
| Farquhar relieved Archer. | 2 | 7 |
| Bird struck out swinging. | 2 | 7 |
| Holliday struck out swinging. | 2 | 7 |
| Ellsbury hit by pitch. | 2 | 7 |
| Castro fouled out to catcher. | 2 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Chasen Shreve pitching for New York | NYY | TB |
| Shreve relieved Holder. | 2 | 7 |
| Smith flied out to center. | 2 | 7 |
| Norris singled to left. | 2 | 7 |
| Dickerson grounded into fielder's choice to first, Norris out at second. | 2 | 7 |
| Dickerson to second on wild pitch by Shreve. | 2 | 7 |
| Kiermaier walked. | 2 | 7 |
| Longoria reached on infield single to shortstop, Dickerson to third, Kiermaier to second. | 2 | 7 |
| Miller struck out looking. | 2 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Austin Pruitt pitching for Tampa Bay | NYY | TB |
| Pruitt relieved Farquhar. | 2 | 7 |
| Headley singled to left. | 2 | 7 |
| Judge grounded into fielder's choice to third, Headley safe at second on error by third baseman Longoria. | 2 | 7 |
| Hicks reached on infield single to shortstop, Headley to third, Judge to second. | 2 | 7 |
| Carter hit for Kozma. | 2 | 7 |
| Colomé relieved Pruitt. | 2 | 7 |
| Carter hit sacrifice fly to left, Headley scored. | 3 | 7 |
| Sánchez struck out swinging. | 3 | 7 |
| Bird flied out to center. | 3 | 7 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 1 Errors | ||
New York Yankees
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gardner LF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | .250 | .250 | .250 |
Kozma SS
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
b-Carter PH
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Sánchez C | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Bird 1B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | .000 | .200 | .000 |
| Holliday DH | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Ellsbury CF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | .000 | .250 | .000 |
| Castro 2B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | .750 | .750 | .750 |
| Headley 3B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | .750 | .750 | .750 |
| Judge RF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 | .250 | .250 | .500 |
| Torreyes SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
a-Hicks PH-LF
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | .500 | .500 | .500 |
| Totals | 36 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 143 | |||
| a-flied out to right for R Torreyes in the 7th b-hit sacrifice fly to left for P Kozma in the 9th | ||||||||||
| BATTING 2B: Judge (1, Archer) RBI: Judge (1), Torreyes (1), Carter (1) SF: Carter Yankees RISP: 3-10 (Sánchez 0-2, Bird 0-1, Torreyes 0-1, Hicks 1-2, Judge 1-2, Gardner 1-2) Team LOB: 9 | ||||||||||
| FIELDING E: Sánchez (1, throw) | ||||||||||
Game Information
| Stadium | Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL |
| Attendance | 31,042 (100% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 3:21 |
| Weather | indoors |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Jerry Layne, First Base - Marvin Hudson, Second Base - Dan Bellino, Third Base - Mike Estabrook |
No comments:
Post a Comment