| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- The champagne remained on ice for at
least another day for the New York Yankees.
The struggling two-time defending World Series champions failed
to clinch the AL East title for the second straight night
Wednesday, losing 11-1 to the last-place Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
|
“ |
Hopefully, tonight we bottomed out. Tonight was an embarrassment. We need to do something about it. ” |
|
|
— Joe Torre |
The loss was the 11th in 14 games for New York, which is assured
of at least a tie for first place and can claim its fourth division
crown in five years with one more victory or losses by Toronto and
Boston.
"Hopefully, tonight we bottomed out," manager Joe Torre said
after the Yankees dropped a series at Tropicana Field for the first
time in the Devil Rays' three seasons. "Tonight was an
embarrassment. We need to do something about it."
Jose Guillen, Ozzie Timmons and Fred McGriff homered for Tampa
Bay, which has won four straight against a playoff contender. After
taking three of four over the weekend against Toronto, the Devil
Rays have put New York's celebration plans on hold since Monday.
|  | | Fred McGriff, center, hit the 416th home run of his career in the third inning. |
"That's nice," pitcher Cory Lidle said. "They getting ready
to pop open the champagne every night now, but if we can keep
delaying it, we will."
The Yankees have lost four straight games. And with less than a
week left in the regular season, a sense of urgency is building.
"I don't care what anybody says, there's no such thing as
backing into a division title. We play 162 games. The team that
wins is the best team," said New York's Scott Brosius.
"It's been a battle. The road has been a little more crooked
this year than it has the last couple," the third baseman added.
"We're going to win the division. We just need to relax and do
it."
Yankees owner George Steinbrenner visited the clubhouse to talk
with Torre and general manager Brian Cashman before the game, then
watched Lidle (4-6) limit his team to five hits in seven innings.
"He just stopped in to say hi. He hadn't seen me," Torre said
of the meeting with Steinbrenner. "I'm sure he's not in as good a
mood as he was earlier."
Guillen's three-run homer off Denny Neagle (7-7) was the big
blow in Tampa Bay's four-run second inning. McGriff hit his 416th
career homer in the third and Timmons added a two-run shot off
reliever Randy Keisler in the fifth.
The Devil Rays added three runs in the seventh when Timmons
grounded into a force play and John Flaherty followed with a
two-run double off Jay Tessmer.
The loss was the third straight for Neagle, who has given up 19
runs in 10 2/3 innings in those outings. Five of the 15 hits he's
allowed during the losing streak, which comes on the heels of
winning four straight, have been home runs.
McGriff's 26th homer moved him ahead of Cal Ripken Jr. into 28th
place on the all-time list. It also gave him 104 RBI, tying the
team record he set a year ago, and put the Devil Rays up 5-0.
New York trailed 7-0 before finally breaking a streak of 30
consecutive scoreless innings by Devil Rays starting pitchers in
the sixth. Brosius doubled and scored on Chuck Knoblauch's single, but the Yankees were unable do any more damage against Lidle.
Lidle struck out three and walked one before being replaced by
Dan Wheeler.
Tampa Bay's four-game winning streak is its best since it won a club-record six
straight from July 26-Aug. 1. The team has won five of six since
ending an AL season-high 10-game losing streak last week.
"We need to keep playing the string out. When things are going
right for you, keep pushing because we know the other side of it --
I guess the dark side of it," manager Larry Rothschild said. "We
might as well ride this. I'm glad to see guys having success here
and being able to lighten up a little bit, play the game and not
worry about every other thing.
Game notes
The Devil Rays have homered in nine straight games, tying
the club record set earlier this season. ... Guillen has only hit
three homers since June 25. The three-run shot off Neagle was his
first since Aug. 23. ... The Yankees rested David Justice because
Torre didn't want him to play three consecutive days on Tampa Bay's
artificial surface. ... The Devil Rays will close out the season as
the only team in the majors not to start a left-handed pitcher in a
game this year. ... New York has lost five straight on the road for
the first time since dropping six in a row in April 1996.
| |
ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
NY Yankees Clubhouse
Tampa Bay Clubhouse
RECAPS
Oakland 9
Anaheim 7
Toronto 4
Baltimore 0
Cleveland 8
Minnesota 2
Tampa Bay 11
NY Yankees 1
Boston 2
Chi. White Sox 1
Kansas City 3
Detroit 0
Seattle 6
Texas 4
Florida 6
Montreal 3
Houston 10
Pittsburgh 1
NY Mets 6
Atlanta 2
Chicago Cubs 1
Philadelphia 0
Milwaukee 10
Cincinnati 6
Colorado 6
Arizona 4
San Francisco 4
Los Angeles 0
St. Louis 3
San Diego 0
|
