The New York Yankees are having a rough stretch right now after losing 1-0 to the Tampa Rays on Saturday and after dropping to 54-50 on the year, the team will be looking to rebound on Sunday afternoon as they welcome Tampa Bay for the third and final game of their series in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium and it comes on the same day the Yanks will honor former World Series MVP Hideki Matsui in the Bronx.
The Rays have been playing some fantastic baseball over the past couple weeks and after defeating the Yankees the team is now in first place in the American League East over the Red Sox and the Yanks are now eight games back of the lead and are close to falling out of the race. The addition of Alfonso Soriano hasn't helped over the past two games, but the team is hoping that he will be able to add some power to the lineup as Derek Jeter also returns. The Yankees have dealt with tons of injuries this season and as the calendar gets closer to August, the team is getting close to possibly missing the playoffs.
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CC Sabathia has had a very rough stretch and the Yankees now have been shelled in his past few starts and the team really needs to get him back on track to have any chance at making the playoffs. The Yankees lost 1-0 on Saturday with Ivan Nova on the mound and on Sunday Matt Moore will pitch for the Rays against Phil Hughes for the home team. The Yankees are struggling on offense this season and the team ranks 21st in runs and 23rd in batting average and with players like Jeter and Curtis Granderson coming back, the team is hoping for a more explosive lineup.
Jeter is ready to get back in the lineup and played in a simulated game on Saturday after being placed on the DL after coming back from his ankle injury. Jeter has been out for all but one game this season, missing 102 games this year, and now he looks ready to come back. He was placed on the DL July 12 after getting a quad strain and he is hopeful to come back healthy and stay on the field the rest of the season. The Yankees are also dealing with the Alex Rodriguez situation and there is a chance that he could return to the lineup soon as well, while catcher Francisco Cervelli is also healing up from a hand injury.
The Yankees are honoring former World Series MVP Hideki Matsui on Sunday before the game and he will also sign a minor league contract with the team to officially retire as a Yankee. Matsui will also get a bobblehead given out at the game.
