Short Homestand, Game 2

1:07PM HST

TOP 1: Crawford first pitch swinging, weakly grounds to Tino -- Sheff hauls in a high pop fly to right center -- Lugo strikes out on a dropped ball, throw to Tino is out #3

BOT 1: Nomo now sporting the long sideburn look -- Jeter singles to leadoff -- Jeter gunned out trying to steal on the first pitch to Bernie -- Bernie pops out to short, on the payoff pitch -- Sheff flies to deep left center to end the inning

1:20PM HST

TOP 2: Huff hit by the first pitch of the inning on the side of his right knee -- Perez strikes out (RJ 2) -- Cantu flies out to right, two down -- Phelps singles to left, runners now at 1st and 2nd -- Hall grounds to Jeter to end the inning

BOT 2: Matsui grounds out to first -- ARod caught looking SO -- Two down, Giambi solo shot to right on an 0-1 pitch, Yanks 1-0 -- Pos flies out to end the inning

1:37PM HST

TOP 3: Sanchez strikes out (RJ 3) -- Crawford grounds out to third -- Gonzalez also strikes out to end the inning (RJ 4)

BOT 3: Tino softly pops to third -- Womack hits a comebacker to Nomo, he is retired -- Jeter beats out a bounding grounder to second, single -- Bernie flys to right for the third out

1:50PM HST

TOP 4: Lugo is frozen on a breaking pitch, SO (RJ 5) -- Huff broken bat single -- Huff steals second on a low throw -- Perez hits a two run homer out near the retired numbers monument, Rays 2-1

Cantu dribbles one in front of the plate, thrown out by Posada -- two down, Phelps strikes out swinging (RJ 6) to end the inning

BOT 4: Sheff rips one to right, but Huff is there for the out -- Gajira walks after running up a full count -- ARod flies to right --two down, Giambi SO looking

2:10PM HST

TOP 5: Hall grounds out to third -- Sanchez SO swinging (RJ 7) -- Crawford grounds out to second -- quick inning by the Big Unit

BOT 5: Posada with a leadoff walk -- Tino first pitch swinging, hits one high and deep -- and foul -- Tino hits a sharp grounder up the middle, Pos on the hit and run is tagged out by Lugo, and Tino is thrown out at first DP

Womack singles -- two down, Jeter smacks a double to the gap, cut off by Huff -- waving Womack home from first, he is gunned out easily to end the inning

2:25PM HST

TOP 6: Gonzalez lined out to center -- Lugo hits a liner just outside the right field foulpole, that's a long strike -- Lugo frozen pizza SO (RJ 8) -- two down, Huff grounds to Womack to retire the side

BOT 6: Bernie first pitch swinging, grounds to first -- Sheff walks on four pitches -- Gajira hits a seeing eye single past Lugo, runners now on first and second, one out

ARod flies harmlessly to center, runners have to stay -- two down, Rays change the pitcher, as Giambi comes up -- Giambi is blown away with three straight fastballs from Trever Miller

2:45PM HST

TOP 7: Perez smacks his second HR almost to the same spot, after bouncing on the top of the fence -- Rays now, 3-1

The color man for the DRays is a homer, he's annoying to listen to -- so I mute the volume LOL

Cantu lined out to right -- Phelps is hit by the pitch -- still one out, runner at first -- Hall long fly out to left -- Sanchez flies out to end the inning

Seventh inning stretch, Rays 3-1

BOT 7: Posada seeing eye leadoff single -- at this point, Yankees EIGHT hits, none timely -- Tino smokes one down the line ... Foul -- damn!

Full count on Tino, he singles after a quality AB -- Posada to third, now runners first and third, none away -- Womack singles on the first pitch, lined to center, one run scores, TB now, 3-2

The hook comes for Miller, Jeter next up -- Harper in for Rays -- runners at first and second, still no one out

Jeter grounds into a DP, Tino to third -- two outs, man on third, Bernie having a quality AB, ruining out pitches -- Bernie pops out foul to the left side of home plate

3:15PM HST

TOP 8: Crawford singles -- Gonzalez singles up the middle, runners now first and third, none out -- Lugo grounds out to ARod, holds the runners -- runners now second and third, one away

Jeter has a grounder hit to him, he boots it E6, one run scores, Rays 4-2 -- runners now on the corners, one out -- that's all for RJ tonight

They bring in Flash -- well, I have no confidence in him, apparently Torre does -- Lee singles, one run scores -- on the play Huff out at second, Rays now 5-2

Cantu singles, one more run scores -- Ok, that's two straight hits, this guy is no mystery to any team so far this season -- I can only shake my head, Rays now 6-2

BOT 8: Three straight fly outs -- the Yankees spent it all last night

3:35PM HST

TOP 9: Gee, I guess when you don't win much, you have to put 42 in -- in a non-save just to get him reps -- Hall grounds off Mariano's hand to Jeter, and is put out -- ARGGHH, how many of the Yankee pitchers are going to get hit by balls this month!!!

42 will continue -- gets Sanchez to ground out to first -- then strikes out Crawford to end the inning

BOT 9: Giambi grounds out to Lugo -- -- Tino lines out to short to end the game

FINAL Rays 6-2

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Well, Yanks honestly back where they deserve to be at this point of the season -- LAST PLACE, tied with the D-Rays

I'm no prophet but I am beginning to get the feeling that this is the year that the chickens come home to roost -- you can't buy a championship, it's just against the essential karma of the game

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Big Unit notes
There are times when I notice RJ has lost some MPH off the fastball, but makes these really great pitches -- the hard luck part of it is that he has grooved some the past two outings and has been jacked out of the yard, as a result

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Tomorrow, the Yanks start a short two game series in Toronto