Rod playing with bruised knee, homers

But unlike his start against the Yankees earlier this month in New York, those home runs didn’t hurt because the Rays offense came to his support.

But this season, he’s finally been embraced by Yankee fans and teammates who never knew what to think of him. Alas, that fizzled when Didi Gregorius broke from third on a routine comebacker and was easily thrown out at home by the pitcher. After last night’s game, you could be forgiven for dreaming big and thinking the Yankees could pull off another insane comeback.

With the win, the Yankees moved to three games behind the idle Blue Jays in the AL East. The 25-year-old lost the no-hitter opportunity courtesy of Carlos Beltran, who singled to lead off the eighth.

The impression left was that of a game entrusted to players who haven’t earned that trust yet and, rather predictably, given away. “They didn’t really prove to me they could hit it. I just kept going with it. I didn’t want to get hit with something that wasn’t my best”.

The Rays, who piled up 13 hits, added to their lead with two outs in the eighth when Yankees right fielder Rico Noel couldn’t make a diving grab on a line drive from Rays catcher J.P. Arencibia. That hit was also the first one allowed by Odorizzi in his past two starts against the Yankees that did not leave the ballpark. “Guys that can do a number of different things”. It was Sabathia’s second start since coming off the disabled list, and with the bullpen taxed after the Toronto Blue Jays series, the Yankees needed their starters to go more than five innings. This side trip to Tampa was supposed to be the easy part of the road trip, three gimmes against a team playing out the string.

“Just trying to find a rhythm [was hard early]”, Warren said.

Asked about Rodriguez in the Subway Series, Girardi said: “We have a good pinch hitter”. The Yankees got the force out at second, but they couldn’t double up Kiermaier.

“You look at Alex’s age, it probably helped him a lot”, Joe Girardi said of the extended breaks. “It’s tough that we’re not able to hold them down”. “Today’s no different than any other outing for me, it’s the same process”. It will be fatal to the Yankees’ hopes of winning the AL East and maybe even holding on to a wild-card berth.

Rodriguez underwent an MRI exam Tuesday on his left knee, an exam that showed a bone bruise.

Can’t buy a hit: Ellsbury, whose average is now down to.251 – he is hitting.207 since returning from the DL on July 8 – went hitless in four more at-bats and is now 0 for his last 25.

Yet Heathcott’s home run may have done more.

“Obviously it would have been nice”, he said. “I didn’t mean to get overexcited, but instincts took over, we’re down by one….”

The Yankees, of course, must take care of business this week against the Rays, before taking on the seriously-hot New York Mets – eight straight wins entering Tuesday – before their final regular season showdown against Toronto at Rogers Centre starting the 21st.