ST. PETERSBURG Riley Nash Jersey , Fla. r12; The New York Yankees are the only team in baseball yet to lose three games in a row this season, but that could end Sunday with a sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Tampa Bay (36-40) posted a 4-0 victory Saturday at Tropicana Field after a 2-1 win Friday. For the second day in a row, the Rays relied on a patchwork relievers-as-starters bullpen-day approach.
The Yankees have not gone this late into a season without losing three in a row since August 1954.
The Rays have an actual starter on the mound Sunday in Blake Snell, who looks like an All-Star with a 9-4 record and 2.48 ERA. But her17;s 0-2 against the Yankees with a 9.72 ERA, including his only loss in his last seven outings.
On June 14, Snell gave up four runs in five innings in a loss to the Yankees. By comparison, he has a 0.95 ERA in three outings against the Boston Red Sox.
Snellr17;s career record against the Yankees is 2-4 with a 4.89 ERA in 10 starts.
If Snell has the Yankees (50-24) as a nemesis, New York starter Domingo German (2-4, 4.77 ERA) is nearly the opposite r12; he had no wins in his first 11 appearances of the season until a June 14 game against the Rays when he lasted six innings and gave up three runs and five hits with a season-high 10 strikeouts for his first victory of the year. German made it two straight wins with a 7-2 victory over Seattle on Tuesday, striking out nine.
A Rays sweep of the Yankees would be unexpected, given that they opened the season with five straight wins over Tampa Bay by a combined score of 31-10. The Rays had lost five of seven entering the series, but now are one win from a sweep.
r0;That road trip kind of knocked us in the mouth a little bit,r1; Rays manager Kevin Cash said. r0;We faced arguably the two best teams in the American League (Yankees and Astros). r30; To be able to come back here Randy White Jersey , take the off day, get back at home and the fans, my gosh, the fan support that wer17;ve gotten has been outstanding, and to find a way to win two games has to be special for this clubhouse.r1;
The Yankees have dominated in the first three months of the season and so scoring one run in a span of two nights is concerning but nothing Aaron Boone is too worried about long term. The Yankees havenr17;t had extended hitting slumps this season, so her17;s eager to see his lineup get back to business even before the squad leaves town.
r0;Your17;re going to hit a little dry spell like that,r1; Boone said. r0;Overall, we havenr17;t really been mounting much since that big inning a couple of days ago. Over the course of 162 games, that is going to happen. We just have to keep grinding at it and really come back and have that urgency (Sunday), to try to get out of here with one (win) under our belt.r1;
Michael Floyd made it clear that her17;s looking for a fresh start to whatr17;s left of his once-promising NFL career.
So the St. Paul, Minnesota, native, who floundered with his hometown Vikings last season Youth Mark Letestu Jersey , is now working on the opposite end the Mississippi River, trying to show Sean Payton and Co. why the New Orleans Saints were right to give him a look.
r1;I think I still have a lot to offer. Ir17;m only 28,r1; the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Floyd said Thursday, after his second practice with the Saints on Thursday. r1;I donr17;t think Ir17;m too old.r1;
Saints coach Sean Payton described the signing as relatively low risk this early in camp, when rosters are at 90 players and the club has about a month to evaluate players before trimming its roster to the regular season maximum of 53.
r1;I think I know what he can be,r1; Payton said. r1;Thatr17;s the cool thing about coaching, is when you get somebody and you feel like you can make a difference.r1;
Receivers coach Curtis Johnson added that the Saintsr17; style of offense r1;allows guys like him to be productive,r1; whether it be blocking on the edge for the Saintsr17; strong running game or rising up in the end zone for a Drew Brees fade pass.
r1;Her17;s a very physical player. I thought he caught the ball well today,r1; Johnson said. r1;So, his size and his speed can really help us.r1;
Floyd was a prominent receiver for Arizona early in his career. He had 1,041 yards and five touchdowns receiving in 2013 and no fewer than 841 yards in each of the two seasons after that. But his production r11; and the arc of his career r11; dipped considerably in 2016, a season marred by a drunken driving arrest and late-season release from the Cardinals.
New England snapped him up en route to a Super Bowl triumph that season Maliek Collins Jersey , but Floydr17;s contributions to the Patriotsr17; success were limited at best. In two regular season games, he caught four passes, including a 14-yard TD. He had one catch in New Englandr17;s playoff opener -when he also had an interception bounce off his hands r11; and was scratched for the AFC title game and Super Bowl.
Last season, Floyd played in 11 games for the Vikings after serving a four-game suspension by the NFL for using a banned substance. He finished the regular season with only 10 catches for 78 yards.
In free agency, Floyd was not heavily sought after. He had a tryout with Baltimore but remained unsigned when training camps opened. He signed this week with New Orleans, which was looking to add receivers because of injuries to three young players at that position.
A handful of other teams had offered tryouts, but Floyd and his agent, Brian Murphy of Athletes First, decided to be selective about accepting such invitations.
r1;What we learned last year in Minnesota is that what appears to be good fit on the surface might not necessarily end up being ideal, and itr17;s nobodyr17;s fault,r1; Murphy told The Associated Press by phone. r1;We were very careful this year to pinpoint teams where we were confident Michael would have an opportunity to contribute.r1;
Floyd said it was important to him to join a team with players he knew. The Saints roster includes linebacker Manti Teo, Floydr17;s former college teammate at Notre Dame. Floyd also was already acquainted with Saints running back Shane Vereen and right tackle Ryan Ramczyk, who also are represented by Athletes First.
r1;Therer17;s a lot of things that come into play when your17;re choosing to be on a team http://www.chicagobearsteamonline.com/roquan-smith-jersey ,r1; Floyd said. r1;I chose Minnesota last year just because I know a whole bunch of guys on the team and I knew what theyr17;re about. And playing with (Vikings tight end) Kyle Rudolph in college, itr17;s something that I think, in my life, that I wanted to be around guys that were close to me.r1;
Why didnr17;t his stint with the Vikings work out? It appeared Floyd preferred not to express any opinion about that when he smiled wryly and said, r1;I have no idea.r1;
In New Orleans, Floyd said he sees r1;a great team, a great coach and guys that Ir17;ve been knowing for a decade. Itr17;s always good to go on a team and have guys that you already know. It makes a lot of things more smooth.r1;
Floyd also alluded to what he hopes will be a blossoming relationship with the prolific Brees.
r1;Having a (projected) Hall of Fame quarterback throwing you the ball r11; I think that makes a big difference,r1; Floyd said.
