Once again the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays are battling for the American League. It is a rivalry that has been going strong since 2012 and has yet to stop. This season is no different as both team continue through another series. The Yankees got the win on Friday which leaves the Rays battling for Saturday.
As both teams continue to look like playoff contenders, their regular season series are very competitive. Mark Teixeira and Brian McCann were the stars of Friday getting a three-run home and then a walk-off home run respectively. Teixeira used that game to break out of his 2-for-24 slump while being 11 for 30 in his last eight games at Yankee Stadium. Most of the Yankees' lineup is much more successful at home than on the road. Alex Rodriguez is 16 for 36 in 10 home games while being 4 for 23 on the road. Chase Headley has been following the same trend. The entire team is combining for 7.2 runs per game while batting .319 at home compared to the 2.9 runs they average on the road. That type of hitting is helping the team take advantage of the slumping Rays.
Michael Pineda takes the mound to keep up the success. The pitcher is 8-5 with a 4.08 ERA. He is slowly bouncing back after a slow return to the field going 3-5 with a 5.44 ERA in his first eight games. Players like James Loney and Evan Longoria have traditionally hit well off him.
The Rays will send Nathan Karns to the mound who is 4-4 with a 3.26 ERA on the season. He has yet to pitch past six innings in his last nine stars which is a major concern for Tampa Bay. He is 1-1 with a 1.54 ERA in his last four starts, but failing to go deep in games is putting pressure on the bullpen. He is also not getting the run support to help bring in wins as he has gotten just two runs in the past 29 innings.