Cellar Dwelling

Yeah, it's only April, but there's never a bad time to see the Yankees in last place. Even the return of Wang couldn't save them tonight. Kazmir pitched well for Tampa Bay. Did a good job keeping A-Rod's bat quiet.

And the Yankees pen was bad again, with Myers giving up the big hit to Crawford.

If the Yanks are worried about preserving the arms of the bullpen, then bringing up Phil Hughes is a dumb move. The guy will be on a serious pitch count, and as soon as he hits 80 pitches, they'll be warming guys up. For all I know, Hughes might turn out to be one of those guys who's very efficient and can throw a 75-pitch complete game. As a raw rookie, I highly doubt that will happen. Instead, Hughes will likely contribute to the bullpen woes.

The Rays Can Hit

Even after Sunday night's debacle, Igawa managed to pitch worse than Dice-K. At least Igawa gave up fewer dingers than Chase Wright. Devil Rays beating the Yanks? Never gets old.

Tampa Bay is currently tied for 4th in the majors, with a team .272 clip. They're second in homers with 25 (the Yanks and Braves have 26 each). The Yanks can only beat the Rays if their pitching is decent. Otherwise, they've gotta try to outscore them and win 11-10.

In '05, the Rays batted .274, third-best in the game. Their record against the Yankees? 11-8. Even with a 6.04 ERA against New York.

Last season, they hit .255, tied with Houston for worst in the game. Against the Yanks, they went 5-13.

If the Yankee pitching doesn't improve, and if Young, Dukes, Baldelli, etc. can keep progressing, the Rays will not be a doormat this year. Should be fun.