April 11, 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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After struggling mightily in the first inning, AJ Burnett (W, 1-0; 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 3 BB, K, 3.75 ERA) settled down to shut down the Rays’ lineup on his way to his first victory of the season. And after failing to capitalize on several opportunities earlier in the game, the Yankee offense found a spark in Jorge Posada’s go-ahead 2-R HR in the sixth inning to pull out their fourth win of the year and, surprisingly in my opinion, win the first two series against division rivals on the road. I was very impressed with both series wins, and am feeling pretty confident as the Bombers travel back to New York to open their home schedule against the Angels Tuesday afternoon.
In addition to Posada’s big hit, A-Rod also had a good game and a couple of key hits of his own, finishing the day 2-4 with 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB, and R. But the story of the game has to be Burnett as he continues to dominate the Rays during his career. Also, according to Michael Kay during the YES broadcast, the Yankees have never lost an April series to the Rays, home or away. So I guess this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.
Both Joba and Mo got work in to close out the game because tomorrow is an off day. And although Joba struggled a little, there was little doubt that the win was all but a formality once Rivera entered the game.
From what I saw, the Rays’ greatest weakness is their bullpen, which blew the game again. They were pretty strong against the Orioles in the opening series, but did not look very good against this Yankee lineup, especially in the final two games of the series. But now it’s on to New York to get the rings and raise the Championship banner. I only wish I could watch it live. Oh how I hate this time of year at work.
(AL East -1.0, 2nd; 4-2, W2; Home 0-0, Road 4-2)
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