The Tampa Bay Rays got solo home runs from Austin Meadows and Randy Arozarena, but lost a member of their starting rotation in shutting out the New York Yankees 4-0 Saturday at Tropicana Field.
Pitcher Chris Archer, who allowed a first-inning single to Aaron Hicks, and a second-inning base hit to Gary Sanchez, ended up leaving the contest one out into the third inning after a double by DJ LeMahieu. The right-hander was diagnosed with lateral tightness in his right forearm, and was placed on the 10-day injured list after the game.
“I thought it was just something that comes and goes, because you know thinks come and go as you start,” Archer said after the game. “But it lingered, and I found myself altering how I was throwing a little, and it wasn’t worth it. Fortunately it’s nothing serious, but there’s definitely some tightness in there that I need to get out.”
Meadows started the scoring in the bottom of the first by taking a Domingo German pitch and knocking it off the foul pole in right for his third homer of the season.
Tampa Bay added two more runs in the second, as Joey Wendle and Willy Adames led off the inning with singles off German. Brett Phillips moved both runners up a base with a groundout, and Francisco Mejia followed with a liner that went off te Yankees starter’s glove and into shallow right to bring in both runners and a 3-0 advantage.
Arozarena added Tampa Bay’s fourth run by taking German’s first pitch of the third and crushing it off the batters’ eye in straightaway center for his first home run of 2021.
Andrew Kittredge (1-0) finished the top of the third after taking over for Archer and also worked a scoreless fourth. Jeffrey Springs worked two scoreless innings, while Ryan Thompson, Cody Reed, and Chris Mazza each put up a zero to finish off a combined five hitter.
Brent Honeywell, who was called up after the game, will make his Major League debut Sunday opening in front of Michael Wacha as Tampa Bay looks to finish off a three-game sweep. The Yankees will counter with left-hander Jordan Montgomery. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
