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A three-game sweep of the Rays at Tropicana Field marked a turnaround in the Yankees' young 2015. The team was coming off an exceptionally poor stretch that saw them commit 11 errors and lose more than they won. Since then, however, the team has been on a roll. They went to Detroit and took three of four games against the Tigers before earning a Subway Series win by taking two games from the red-hot Mets over the weekend. Can they keep it going against the Rays in New York?
Tampa Bay comes in on a winning streak of their own, having been victorious in their last five games. Hopefully the Yankees can put an end to that real quick the same way they snuffed out the Mets' 11-game streak on Friday. Adam Warren struggled mightily in the first inning of his last start in snowy Detroit. The weather should be more on his side tonight. Nathan Karns will start the game for the Rays after taking a no decision the last time he faced the Yankees. He allowed two runs and walked four batters in five innings at the Trop.
Alex Rodriguez is one home run away from tying Willie Mays to move from fifth place to fourth place on the all-time list. He's getting a start at third base tonight while Chase Headley gets the night off. Jacoby Ellsbury is also back in tonight's lineup after missing one game with an achy hip. At DH for A-Rod, Carlos Beltran will attempt to find a pulse that he has been lacking all season. He's gotten bumped another spot lower in the lineup, so maybe Joe Girardi is realizing that playing him at all might just be a hopeless endeavor. It is still April, but he has just been absolutely brutal. Mark Teixeira's home run barrage against the Mets helped earn him AL Player of the Week honors. It's nice to see him actually hitting in April. Here's to many more Tex Messages this series.
Here's tonight's full lineup:
Tonight's #Yankees lineup (6p on YES): Ellsbury 8 Gardner 7 A-Rod 5 Teixeira 3 McCann 2 Beltran DH Young 9 Drew 4 Gregorius 6. P: Warren
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) April 27, 2015
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