Yankees 4, Rays 1: Let slip the dogs of Warren

After allowing four runs on five hits and four walks in his last outing against the Detroit Tigers, it was pretty crucial for Adam Warren to regain his footing, especially as the Yankees continue their hot streak. And that he did, as Adam Warren and the Yankees got a nice victory, their fourth in a row against the Rays.

Up until the bottom of the fifth, the game was pretty uneventful as both Warren and Nathan Karns consecutively put up zeroes on the board. The Rays' only legitimate threat against Warren up to that point was in the first, where they put runners on second and third on a Steven Souza single and Asdrubal Cabrera ground-rule double, and that was with just one out. Warren struck out the dangerous Evan Longoria and got James Loney to ground out, ending the threat.

The Yankees would be the first on the board in the bottom of the fifth as they forced Karns out of the game after just four and two third innings after a Stephen Drew walk, Didi Gregorius single, and Jacoby Ellsbury walk loaded the bases. That brought on the Rays' Brandon Gomes who walked in a run, but then escaped the jam without anymore damage.

The Rays would then tie the game in the top of the sixth, as David DeJesus scored on a strange sequence. He singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a fly out, and then scored after a throw from Drew on a fielder's choice play was spiked into the ground before it could get to Brian McCann in time. Adam Warren would record one more out before being pulled, and Joe Girardi has to be happy about his outing: five and two third innings pitched, and one earned run allowed on five hits, no walks, and six strikeouts. Justin Wilson would come in to finish the inning by striking out Loney.

And with the game tied, the Yankees came into the bottom of the sixth and quickly broke it. Brian McCann hit a home run, his second on the season, and then Carlos Beltran and Stephen Drew both doubled to plate another run, giving the Yankees a 3-1 lead.

And the Yankees would tack on one more run after Jacoby Ellsbury was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the eighth inning. And after Adam Warren exited, the Yankees would get relief from Wilson (one inning, one strikeout), David Carpenter (one out, one walk), Dellin Betances (one inning, two strikeouts), and then Andrew Miller recorded the save by closing out the ninth inning with just one hit and a strikeout.

And with this victory, the Yankees go to 12-8 on the season and continue their hot streak; they now have won nine of their last eleven games after starting the season 3-6. I guess they aren't doomed. The Yankees will continue their series against the Rays tomorrow night as Chase Whitley will get the spot start against Jake Odorizzi. The game will start at 7:05 PM EST, and you can watch it on MLB.tv or YES.

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