ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Since the Rays added a single and drove in a run with a fielders’ choice in the first inning, it was impossible to guarantee they wouldn’t have scored had the Yankees not made a mental blunder in that inning Sunday when the hosts plated two runs against James Paxton.
Travis d’Arnaud led off with a double inside the third-base line and scored on Tommy Pham’s ground single to center. Because of the possibility of a play at the plate, first baseman Edwin Encarnacion got into the cut-off position between the mound and plate. Second baseman Breyvic Valera rotated toward first base in case there would be a play on Pham rounding the bag.
But Didi Gregorius took Aaron Hicks’ throw to second too far toward center field and a heads-up Pham hustled into second base.
Yandy Diaz’s single to right put runners at the corners for Avisail Garcia and he grounded to third baseman Gio Urshela, who tried for a 5-4-3 double play but only got the out at second as Pham scored from third.
“Obviously they string some hits together, so it’s impossible to know,’’ Aaron Boone said when asked if the mistake hurt. “A hard-hit ball through the middle of the diamond the first baseman is the cut man and the second baseman goes to first, which Valera did, but once there is going to be no play [at home] you have to drift back and be on the bag there. We obviously have to have that covered up.’’
It won’t stop Brian Cashman from searching the trade market for a starting pitcher before the July 31 deadline but the recent work of the Yankees’ rotation doesn’t put the GM in a desperate position.
Paxton giving up two runs and seven hits in six innings of Sunday’s 2-1 loss was the sixth straight solid outing by a Yankee starter. In those six games the starters have a 2.75 ERA and are 1-1.
All-Star catcher Gary Sanchez was Boone’s choice as the DH against Rays right-hander Charlie Morton despite being buried in a 4-for-41 (.108) slump in the past nine games. During that span, Sanchez posted a .384 OPS with one homer and five RBIs. He also struck out 12 times. Sanchez went 1-for-4 and struck out twice in Sunday’s loss and the hit was a bloop single to left. His average is down to .245
“Missing his pitch a little bit so I feel like he is getting his ‘A’ swing off,’’ Boone said of Sanchez, who struck out four times in Saturday’s 4-3 loss. “When he has taken a good swing over the last couple of weeks it has been fouled back instead of in play with authority.’’
After homering in three straight games June 19-21, Sanchez went 38 at-bats without a homer until Thursday when he launched a 461-foot homer, his 24th of the season.
Luke Voit took ground balls at first base prior to the game. He is on the injured list with an abdominal injury on the left side and hopes to be activated Friday when the Yankees open a 10-game homestand with the first of three games against the Blue Jays.
Valera’s start at second base Sunday meant the Yankees used their 87th different lineup in 88 games.
