Tropicana Field is home sweet home for the Tampa Bay Rays whenever they face the New York Yankees.
The Rays are looking to celebrate Independence Day with a sweep of their division rivals. The Rays’ 7-4 win over the Yankees Tuesday night marked the team’s ninth straight home win (beginning July 21, 2011) against the Yankees. The nine-game streak is the longest home winning streak against the Yankees in the last 20 years.
It’s not just the team from New York, as the Rays have performed well against the AL East in general. They are 20-14 against divisional opponents, but for whatever reason struggle against the AL Central, going 4-12 so far this season.
The team needs the sweep and a strong finish going into the All-Star break. The Rays currently trail the Yankees by 5.5 games in the division but are right in the wild card hunt at the 81 game mark.
Beyond its impact on the standings, the sweep would definitely improve morale in the clubhouse. The Rays struggled in the month of June, where they were a disappointing 12-15. A lot of the teams woes could be attributed to injuries to key players, including Evan Longoria, Desmond Jennings and Jeremy Hellickson.
Luckily the Rays will have their ace David Price on the mound Wednesday for the series finale, and the Yankees will not, as CC Sabathia is on the disabled list.
Price will be looking to win his 12th game of the season. He has won four out of his last five starts including match-ups against Justin Verlander, R.A. Dickey, CC Sabathia and Cole Hamels.
Jamal Wilburg is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.
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