Box Scores 4/13/09: Yanks Again Frustrated by Tired, Floppy Wang

Yanks lose.  Mets lose.

The Tampa Bay Rays delivered a spanking to the New York Yankees in Tampa’s home opener at the Tropicana.  The Yanks slip to 3-4.

Chien-Ming Wang continues to frustrate, having an “excellent bullpen session” yet getting only three outs in the game while charged with eight earned runs.  Three of those runs came when he left the bases loaded in the second inning and reliever Jonathan Albaladejo served up, as if on cue, a grand slam on his first pitch to Carlos Pena.  It is clear that Wang is throwing “all arm” and his body appears to not be catching up.  It has been this way since Spring Training and the coaching staff has not yet corrected it.

The Rays beat the Yanks in the field, on the mound, and at the plate (see box score).  Tampa outfielders twice hauled in warning track drives: B.J. Upton cooly cradled a Xavier Nady slam to center over his shoulder and Carl Crawford leapt to the top of the wall to grab a Nick Swisher big fly to left.  Tampa infielders twice turned inning-ending double plays.  Scott Kazmir left the game with six strikouts in 6 2/3 innings pitched.

Cody Ransom flubbed a double-play ball early on and lost a pop-up in the dome that dropped for a single, while Jorge Posada allowed four stolen bases in four attempts.  Down by nine runs, Ramiro Pena and Robbie Cano teamed up to let another pop-up drop just behind the mound.  Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner nearly collided on a fly ball in the late innings.

Incredibly, Girardi was forced to call Nick Swisher in to pitch by necessity.  Nick had the best line of the night for Yankee pitchers: 1 IP, 1 BB, 1 hit, and no runs.  The Yankee bullpen was utterly depleted by the eighth inning, partly by the absence of a dedicated long man on the roster and partly because Joe Girardi used Jose Veras Sunday night rather than bringing in Mariano Rivera for a four-out save.  The Yanks lost that game, too.

Swisher, who just one week ago was the Yankee’s fourth outfielder, again batted third in the world’s most expensive lineup and also led the thin offensive charge with a home run in the fourth inning.  Jorge Posada had two hits and two RBIs.

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