NEW YORK -- After years of having a terrible time beating the Tampa Bay Rays, the New York Yankees have now found it difficult to lose to their one-time nemesis in the AL East.
But lose they did on Wednesday, in a slow and agonizing fashion, after battling back from a 2-0 deficit to overcome a shaky start by Michael Pineda. But with Chasen Shreve, the final arm in their bullpen, on the mound in the 13th inning, all it took was two walks -- one intentional -- and a James Loney single to short right-field into the shift to turn this into a 3-2 loss and make this one a long (3 hours and 58 minutes) journey to nowhere for the Yankees. Now, they get a day to rest up before heading to Fenway park to spend a relaxing weekend with the Boston Red Sox.
Binder backfire: With two outs and a runner on second in the 13th, Joe Girardi chose to walk Evan Longoria, a Yankee killer in years past but 1-for-6, an infield single, today, to get the lefty-lefty matchup with Loney. Shreve hung a 3-2 slider and Loney grounded it into right, where it was gloved by Stephen Drew, but he was too deep to throw Loney out, as Steven Souza scored from second with the game-winner.
No bonus today: Needing one home run to tie Willie Mays -- and ostensibly, pocket a $6 million bonus -- Alex Rodriguez had a nightmare day, striking out four times and, representing the potential winning run at the plate in the bottom of the 13th with Chris Young (single) on first. Rodriguez rapped into a game-inning double play on the first pitch from Ernesto Frieri.
Two-out rally: After breezing through the first 3 2/3 innings, Pineda ran into trouble with two outs in the fourth, allowing singles to Loney and Logan Forsythe. Then, with two strikes on Kevin Kiermaier, Pineda failed to get two fastball past him -- both were fouled straight back -- and the third one was lined off the wall in right-center for a two-run triple. Pineda then hit the No. 8 hitter, Brandon Guyer, before settling down to get Bobby Wilson to fly out to left.
Head downtown: Chase Headley cut the Rays lead in half, to 2-1, with a solo home run leading off the fifth off a 1-1 changeup from Smyly. It was Headley's third home run of the season and first since April 12.
Fit to be tied: Young's sixth-inning solo home run off Smyly, his fifth of the season, tied the game at 2. Young hit a 1-1 cutter into the left-field seats, only the Yankees fourth hit of the game to that point, although two of them left the ballpark.
Long trip: Gregorio Petit, who only rejoined the team this morning after being optioned on Tuesday to make room for Chase Whitley on the roster, had to sprint well into rightfield to make an over-the-shoulder catch of David DeJesus' seventh-inning fly ball. The actual right-fielder, Carlos Beltran was never getting there and was in the process of trying to slide under the ball as Petit made the catch.
Take a whiff: The Yankees struck out 15 times in the first 8 innings of the game. Starter Smyly fanned 10 in six innings. Against Smyly, Rodriguez and John Ryan Murphy struck out three times each, Didi Gregorius twice, and everyone other than Chris Young at least once. A-Rod struck out a fourth time in the 11th with a runner on base.
Tomorrow: A day off, before the deluge -- 17 consecutive games, beginning with Friday night's game against the Red Sox in Boston, the start of a three-game series with the perennial divisional rivals. No pitching matchups have been announced yet.
