Today on Pinstripe Alley - 5/5/23

Here we go — the Yankees are hitting the road again, and up first is the team that they’re looking all the way up at in the AL East standings. The Rays have played better than anyone else in the early going, proving their place with a sweep of the top NL team at the moment in the Pirates (side note: that is a bizarre statement to make). Despite this being the first time that these teams are meeting up this year, there’s little room for error — a nine game gap in the standings can easily multiply if they don’t at least hold their own against Tampa.

Before all that gets underway, let’s go over what’s in store for the rest of the day. Peter recaps the action across the league and Matt previews the Rays ahead of this season, and then Sam dives into what went down on this day for the 1998 team. John goes over how the Yankees took the wrong lessons to heart from the 2019 squad, and Casey has some critique for how Brian Cashman has been allowed to navigate this roster’s construction.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays

Time: 6:40 p.m. EST

TV: YES Network, Bally Sports Sun

Radio: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280

Venue: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL

Questions/Prompts:

1. Will we see a different reliever get the ninth inning/save opportunity in this series?

2. Who should be the next man (men?) up if anyone needs to hit the IL?