The loss, which prevents the Orioles from having a winning record on this 10-game homestand, was their second straight and drops Baltimore into a tie with Tampa Bay for first place in the division.

Severna Park native Mark Teixeira blasted a two-run homer onto the flag court in right field off Luis Ayala in the seventh inning that proved to be the difference.

But it’s Baltimore’s starting pitching — one of the club’s biggest strengths during its early-season surge — that has suddenly struggled on this homestand. In the eight home games, the starters are 2-4 with a 6.95 earned run average and have allowed 59 hits and issued 17 walks in 45¹/
₃ innings. It was the third straight game in which the Orioles haven’t gotten at least six innings from their starting pitcher.

Going into the homestand, Baltimore’s overall ERA was 2.78, best in the league, but it has ballooned to 3.55.

Orioles right-hander Jason Hammel, making his first start since he missed Thursday’s start with right-knee soreness, had his rockiest outing of the season, allowing five runs — four earned — on seven hits, all season highs.  Hammel, who came into the game attempting to be the first Baltimore pitcher to allow two or fewer runs in his first seven starts, left in the top of the sixth up 5-3 with the bases loaded and no outs.

But the Yankees immediately plated two runs on first baseman Chris Davis’s fielding error off the bat of Raul Ibanez, a grounder that caromed off of Davis’s glove and into right field to tie the score at 5.

The Davis error was costly — had he come up with the ball, he had the chance to turn a double play, and it appeared like Davis was trying to turn two just before he had the ball in his glove. It was the Orioles’ 35th error of the year, most in the league.

Eighteen of the errors have come from five players at the corner infield positions. Baltimore has made at least one error in 21 games this season — 10 AL teams haven’t made 21 errors overall.

Ayala, who relieved Hammel, prevented further damage by stranding the bases loaded with one out by striking out leadoff hitter Derek Jeter and inducing a fly to right from Curtis Granderson.

Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth, rookie Xavier Avery drove in his first career run with a triple into the right-field corner off New York starter Ivan Nova, scoring Robert Andino from first and tying the game.

In the next Orioles at bat, J.J. Hardy hit an 87-mph slider from Nova into the left-field stands for his ninth homer of the season, a two-run blast that tied it at 5.

Nova, who was hit on the right ankle by a Nick Markakis comebacker in the first, limped off the field with a contusion and sprain to his right ankle and foot with one out in the sixth. Baltimore has battered Nova for 10 runs in two starts over 11¹/
₃ innings this season.

The Orioles went up 2-0 in the first, fueled by Avery’s leadoff double — his first major league hit — to right field. Avery scored on a single by Hardy and Adam Jones’s rocket line-drive double to left-center plated Hardy.

Orioles killer Nick Swisher, who has 72 RBI in 85 games against Baltimore, tied the game in the fourth on a one-out, two-run double off Hammel. The Yankees then took a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth on Granderson’s solo homer.

— Baltimore Sun

The New York Yankees beat the
Baltimore Orioles 8-5 for their fourth win in five games as Mark Teixeira’s seventh-inning home run snapped a 5-5 tie.

Curtis Granderson added a solo homer and Nick Swisher had a
two-run double last night as the Yankees improved to 4-0 this
Major League Baseball season at Baltimore’s Camden Yards.

David Phelps got the win in relief of Yankees starting
pitcher Ivan Nova, who left the game after 5 1/3 innings with a
right foot injury. New York’s Rafael Soriano pitched the ninth
inning for his second save. Reliever David Robertson was
unavailable because of rib cage soreness and may undergo
precautionary tests later today, manager Joe Girardi said.

Reliever Frank Francisco, who allowed five earned runs in
his previous two appearances, rebounded to notch his ninth save
last night as the New York Mets beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1.
Francisco closed out the win for Mets 41-year-old starting
pitcher Miguel Batista, who allowed four hits in seven scoreless
innings.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Erik Matuszewski in New York at
matuszewski@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at
msillup@bloomberg.net

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

BALTIMORE — Mark Teixeira has been bothered by a nagging cough for about a month. He’s still not feeling great, but the New York Yankees first baseman made the Baltimore Orioles feel a bit sick Monday night. Teixeira hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the seventh inning, and the Yankees rallied for an 8-5 victory. Teixeira had gone eight games without a home run before snapping a 5-5 tie with his line drive into the seats in right-center off Luis Ayala (1-1). The homer also scored Alex Rodriguez, who singled to start the inning before Teixeira’s out-out blast. Teixeira scored an insurance run in the ninth after he doubled. He finished 2-for-4 and was glad to contribute at a time where he’s still not feeling right. “I’ve just been really trying to grind it out, trying to have good at-bats, trying to hit the ball hard, play good defense,” Teixeira said. “When you’re feeling good, this game’s still hard, still really hard. When things aren’t going your way, you just got to keep fighting and hope things turn around. Tonight was a good night for me and the team.” Before the game, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Teixeira’s disappointing start at the plate might be due to the lingering bronchial condition. The first baseman has a .231 average, but Girardi has no plans to move Teixeira out of the No. 5 spot in the batting order. “That’s a huge home run for us,” Girardi said. “To get that two-run home run, I thought was really important.” After the game, Girardi had to address a number of health issues for his banged-up team. Starter Ivan Nova came out in the sixth inning due to a bruised and sprained right foot and ankle. X-rays were negative. Nova had gotten hit on his leg earlier in the game but stayed in. He said he twisted the ankle/foot in the sixth. Both Girardi and Nova said they’ll need to see how the pitcher feels Tuesday before deciding what to do next. “I don’t want to miss any of my starts,” Nova said. Yankees reliever Clay Rapada wasn’t feeling well following his single-out appearance. Girardi said Rapada has been bothered by a head cold that’s been going through the team. In addition, Raul Ibanez came out in the ninth after he was hit in the right elbow by the pitch. Girardi also said the team would wait to see how the veteran feels Tuesday. New York closer David Robertson hasn’t pitched since finishing Friday’s game against Seattle. Girardi said after Monday’s game that Robertson has been feeling soreness in his left rib cage since then. The pitcher said it looks as if he’ll be going for tests Tuesday morning. “I was hoping it was one of those things that would go away real quick, and it just keeps hanging around,” Robertson said, adding that it didn’t just happen on one pitch. Despite all of those problems, the Yankees still prevailed. David Phelps (1-1) got his first major league victory with an inning of scoreless relief. Rafael Soriano came on in the ninth and earned his second save in the first game of a two-game series. New York now has a 5-2 record against the Orioles so far this season and has won all four meetings in Baltimore. Rain delayed the start of the game for 14 minutes, but the Orioles began quickly in the bottom of the first. Xavier Avery collected his first major league hit, a leadoff double. He scored when J.J. Hardy followed with a single, giving the Orioles a 1-0 lead. Hardy moved to second on a Nick Markakis’ ground out and scored when Adam Jones doubled to left-center. The Orioles had a 2-0 lead after only four batters against Nova. Baltimore starter Jason Hammel didn’t have much trouble in the early innings. He gave up singles in the first and third — the second one coming from Derek Jeter and giving him 3,143 hits, which moved the Yankee shortstop to 16th on the all-time hits list. Hammel ran into trouble in the fourth. Rodriguez and Robinson Cano started the inning with back-to-back singles, and both later scored on Nick Swisher’s two-run double. New York then went ahead in the fifth when Curtis Granderson crushed a solo homer to right. His two-out shot gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead before the Orioles rallied in the bottom half. Robert Andino drew a leadoff walk from Nova and scored when Avery followed with a triple into the right-field corner. Hardy then belted a two-run homer to left for a 5-3 Orioles lead before the Yankees scored the game’s final five runs. “We should have won the ballgame,” Hammel said. “I let them back into the game twice. (We had) a 2-0 lead, and then guys come back and get me some runs. I gave them right back.”

The 2012 MLB regular season is well underway with a full month of baseball already in the books. It is still a long road to October baseball but paths are already starting to take shape and many surprises have already occurred along the way. The beginning of the year brings promise but at this point in the season anything can still happen.

The highlight of the day will be when the New York Yankees visit the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park in Baltimore, Md.

CC Sabathia (5-0, 3.51 ERA) will take the mound for the Yankees facing off against the Orioles’ Wei-Yin Chen (3-0, 2.68 ERA). Sabathia was phenomenal in his last start against the Tampa Bay Rays earning 10 strikeouts and allowing no runs. Chen was impressive in his own right holding the powerful Texas Rangers offense to just two runs in 7 2/3 innings in his last start.

With a number of great games to be played on the day, this will be one of the better ones.

Check your local listings for game times and channel listings in your area. With MLB.TV all games are also available nationwide (local blackouts apply).

Note: All start times Eastern

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Houston Astros at Philadelphia Phillies, 1:05 p.m.

San Diego Padres at Washington Nationals, 1:05 p.m.

Cleveland Indians at Minnesota Twins, 1:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals, 1:45 p.m.

Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox, 2:10 p.m.

Seattle Mariners at Boston Red Sox, 4:05 p.m.

New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles, 7:05 p.m.

Oakland Athletics at Los Angeles Angels, 7:05 p.m.

Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays, 7:07 p.m.

Cincinnati Reds at Atlanta Braves, 7:10 p.m.

Milwaukee Brewers at New York Mets, 7:10 p.m.

Pittsburgh Pirates at Miami Marlins, 7:10 p.m.

Kansas City Royals at Texas Rangers, 8:05 p.m.

Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers, 10:10 p.m.

Colorado Rockies at San Francisco Giants, 10:15 p.m.

Sources:

All data provided by MLB.com

Paul Rados is a Cleveland based freelance sportswriter and Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook.

NEW YORK — There seemed to be a little bit of a debate after Thursday night’s 5-3 loss to the Yankees.

Rays starter David Price believed he was on his game and throwing the ball where he wanted it but the talented Yankees hitters were just up to the challenge in rapping a season-high 11 hits off him, including two home runs, in seven innings.

“I made some good pitches … and they hit ‘em,” Price said. “That’s that.”

Manager Joe Maddon, after watching replays, had a different view, that Price wasn’t as sharp as he had been.

“I thought he was catching more of the plate than normal,” Maddon said. “That’s what I saw, and they’re not going to let you do that over there. They’re the team, if you do make those mistakes, you’re going to pay for it.”

Either way, the result — combined with poor execution, especially at the plate — left the Rays with another loss and heading to Baltimore tied for first place in the American League East with the Orioles at 20-12 but with only Wednesday’s four-run ninth-inning outburst against the Yankees keeping them from a five-game losing streak.

Price had been dazzling in winning his previous four, but there were several indications that was not going to be the case on a chilly night in which he lost to Yankees ace lefty CC Sabathia for the first time in their six matchups.

Most telling were the two home runs, both hit by left-handed batters: Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano.

Price had allowed only six homers to lefties in 598 plate appearances over his first 100 big-league games (never two in one game) and only one extra-base hit to a lefty in his first six starts this season.

“They’re good lefties, though,” Maddon said. “They’re not your run-of-the-mill lefties. Cano hits lefties well, and Granderson has gotten a lot better over the last couple years. They both struck those balls well. They beat us with the home run. That’s who they are, and that’s how we lost.”

The Rays had given Price an early lead, taking advantage of the Yankees’ sloppiness to score an unearned run off Sabathia in each of the first two innings.

But Price gave the runs back, allowing a homer to Granderson to open the second, then a run on a messy sequence that included a walk to No. 8 hitter Eduardo Nunez, a single by No. 9 hitter Chris Stewart and Price’s throwing error when he cut off a throw to the plate. Granderson has three of the eight homers Price has allowed to lefties and a major-league-most 19 off lefties since the start of 2009.

“That was a good fastball (to Granderson) down and in,” Price said. “I’d throw that pitch again. He put a good swing on it, and he hit it well.”

The Yankees broke the tie in the fifth when Nick Swisher singled and Cano homered to right. That pitch, Price allowed, was not so good. “A slider that was in the middle of the plate,” he said. “Just a bad pitch. (Cano) put a charge into that one as well.”

The short-handed Rays didn’t do much against Sabathia, who struck out 10 while throwing a season-high 119 pitches over eight innings. Twice they had a chance to do more, and Will Rhymes failed to get down a bunt, something he said he normally can. “A play that we really need for him to be able to do,” Maddon said.

Add their usual ineffectiveness with runners in scoring position (2-for-11) and the Rays were somewhat fortunate to leave town with the one win.

“It’s better than none,” Maddon said.

NEW YORK — The ball rocketed off Matt Joyce’s bat toward the rightfield wall in the ninth inning Wednesday night, and as the Rays cheered what would be the three-run homer that gave them a dramatic 4-1 win over the Yankees, there was one thing amiss:

Joyce was on the ground in the batter’s box, having rolled his left ankle on the mighty swing.

“It was definitely mixed emotions,” Joyce said. “It was the best and worst feelings you can possibly have in the span of a minute. … It’s always great to come up with a big hit like that, and especially against the Yankees. It’s just hard to celebrate when you’re laying on the ground and you just rolled your ankle.”

Joyce got up and — eventually — made it around the bases, a slow, painful-looking trot reminiscent of Kirk Gibson’s famous, and oft-replayed, blast in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.

“I wanted him to do the Kirk Gibson,” infielder Elliot Johnson said. “I was looking for some fist-pumping from his right arm as he hobbled around the bases.”

Joyce said he never thought about that, that it was enough of a challenge just getting around the bases. “I just thought about how much it was hurting,” he said. “I kind of told myself, I had to make it around there.”

Joyce got the ankle taped and played the field in the ninth, though he said it may be sprained and his status for tonight is in question. He may have been off anyway with lefty CC Sabathia starting.

The Rays (20-11), who regained sole possession of first place, had a good time teasing Joyce about his dramatics — “I’ve never seen anyone stay in the box for that long and look so bad at it,” Johnson said — especially after what looked to be a wasted Wednesday. They were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position (and 0-for-their-last-20 going back to Sunday), and though Jeff Niemann had delivered his best start of the season, working seven stellar innings, they were down 1-0 and down to their last three outs.

But first they tied the score in the ninth. They loaded the bases off Yankees replacement closer David Robertson on singles by Sean Rodriguez and pinch-hitter Brandon Allen, who aggressively took second as Rodriguez went first to third, and a walk to Ben Zobrist then scored on a sac fly by B.J. Upton.

That brought Joyce to the plate, but he wouldn’t have even been in the game still had manager Joe Maddon followed through with a thought to pinch-hit for him in the fifth inning.

The Rays had the bases loaded then, with lefty Boone Logan coming out of the Yankees bullpen. Maddon, keeping track in the dugout of the weather forecast, which called for heavy rains during the game, was thinking hard about having Desmond Jennings hit for Joyce then. Even more so when Joyce went down swinging.

“That was a big moment right there,” Maddon said. “If we had lost that game 1-0 in six innings because I didn’t hit for him I would not have slept well tonight. … I was upset with myself. I didn’t like me at that moment.”

Joyce, essentially, saved the day for Maddon and Niemann, who extended his unbeaten streak against the Yankees to six starts. “That was as good as I’ve seen him in a while,” Maddon said. “That was dominating in a sense.”

Joyce took the incident, and the abuse, well. “It hurt my pride a little bit,” he said. “But I think after the ball went over the fence I think the pride got a good kick.”

Marc Topkin can be reached at topkin@tampabay.com.

If Jesus Montero, formerly of the New York Yankees, goes on to have a fine career for Seattle, while the player New York acquired for him in a trade, Michael Pineda, becomes a bust, it will not be the first time the Yanks have made a poor trade.

All major league clubs have a number of trades that they wish they could take back, and the Yankees are no exception. Yankee fans like me remember a few of these transaction that turned out poorly, often recalling the player who left the Bronx, but usually forgetting who New York obtained in return.

1. Willie McGee

The fleet McGee was a Yankees first-round draft choice in 1977, but he never played a day in pinstripes. New York shipped McGee to the Cardinals for pitcher Bob Sykes, who never advanced out of the Yankees’ minor league system and was out of baseball two seasons later after New York got him. McGee went on to become the Most Valuable Player of the National League in 1985, hitting .353 and stealing 56 bases. Willie played for 18 seasons in the majors.

2. Fred McGriff

Dale Murray and Tom Dodd are not household names in the Yankee world, but they are the two players who New York got in return in 1982 for Fred McGriff. Fred became a borderline Hall of Famer, with more than 90 runs batted in 12 times and a pair of home run titles. Dodd was released by the Yanks five months after the deal without ever sniffing the big leagues, and Murray was 3-6 as a reliever in two-plus Yankee campaigns.

3. Jay Buhner

Buhner hit 310 major league home runs, but only 16 of those were for New York. The Yankees called him up at age 22 and traded him away to the Mariners for Ken Phelps in 1988. Buhner had three 40 home run seasons in the mid-1990s for Seattle, while Phelps failed to produce as a designated hitter for the Yankees, who sent him packing by 1989.

4. Scott McGregor

The Yankees made a multi-player deal with the Orioles in the 1970s, including minor league pitcher Scott McGregor in the trade, which brought back no one who made any significant contributions to the New York cause. Meanwhile, McGregor became a winner with the Orioles, recording at least 13 victories eight times and garnering 20 wins in 1980.

5. Larry Gura

The left-handed Gura was a pitcher for New York in 1975, having gone 12-9 in two seasons as a starter/reliever. New York sent him to the Royals for backup catcher Fran Healy. Gura went 16-4 in 1978 and he won 18 games in 1980 and again in 1982. Healy knocked in a total of 16 runs in his three New York seasons, without ever hitting a home run.

I have been a fan of the New York Yankees since the middle of the 1960s.

Sources:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mcgeewi01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/doddto01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/murrada01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mcgrifr01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/phelpke01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mcgresc01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gurala01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/healyfr02.shtml

. UP NEXT

at Yankees

Tonight through Thursday

What’s new: The Yankees (15-13) have recovered nicely since getting swept in the season-opening series by the Rays, though they lost closer Mariano Rivera, likely for the year, to a torn ACL. SS Derek Jeter is hitting a major-league best .397.

Connections: Yankees RHP Rafael Soriano is a former Rays closer, RHP Cory Wade a former Rays minor-league reliever, pitching coach Larry Rothschild an ex-Rays manager. … Rays C Jose Molina played for the Yankees, and hitting coach Derek Shelton worked six years in their minor-league system.

Series history: The Yankees lead the overall series 150-88, including 81-37 in New York.

The Rays said Monday an MRI exam on LF Desmond Jennings revealed a left knee sprain, and he’ll be monitored daily.

The good news for Tampa Bay is that Jennings isn’t going on the disabled list — at least for now — and he traveled with the team on its eight-game, three-city road trip that starts in New York tonight.

Jennings left Sunday’s game in the second inning with what the team described as “left knee soreness.”

Manager Joe Maddon had said he thought the injury occurred on Jennings’ first-inning head-first slide home, when the speedy leadoff man scored on a sacrifice fly.

Maddon said if Jennings can’t play tonight, more than likely it’ll be Matt Joyce in left, B.J. Upton in center and Ben Zobrist in right.

TOUGH TASK: The Rays have maintained a lead over the Yankees since their season-opening sweep at Tropicana Field but head into the series in New York wary of the task they face.

“They have good pitching, they have one of the best lineups in all of baseball,” DH Luke Scott said. “They are a very good team. That’s how we look at them. We respect our opponent, but we’re also a very good team.”

The Rays (19-10) spent the past few weeks facing every team in the American League West. RHP James Shields said it’ll be nice to get back into “familiar territory” with this trip featuring three AL East foes, including a Baltimore team that entered Monday with the best record in the majors.

“You look at Toronto, that’s a first-place team in any other division, Yankees are a first-place team, Boston, too,” Scott said. “You’ve got five just dominant teams. There’s no breaks.”

STRONG SHIELDS: Shields, who allowed six runs in a no-decision opening day against the Yankees, has won every start since, carrying a major league-leading five wins into tonight’s start.

“Obviously you can tweak a few things here and there, but for the most part I’m feeling really good right now,” Shields said. “I’ve had some pretty decent bullpen sessions, and I’ve just got to keep rolling.”

NO SLOUCH: While the absence of legendary Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, out with a torn ACL, leaves a significant void, the Rays say RHP David Robertson is a formidable fill-in.

Robertson, an All-Star last season, has not given up a run in 27 consecutive appearances dating to Aug. 29.

“I know from facing him, he’s not a fun at-bat,” Scott said. “He’s got really good stuff. And he’s got the longest stride of any pitcher in baseball. So when you see 94-96 (mph) on the gun, it’s more like 98-100.”

ON THE MOVE: Scott is working back into potentially being able to play in the field, saying he’s 10-12 days into a throwing program as he attempts to strengthen his surgically repaired right shoulder.

“I can play first base right now,” Scott said. “I can probably get the ball into the cutoff man now, but I want to be able to put a little bit on it, where I can hold guys to a single.”

Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@tampabay.com.

The Tampa Bay Rays are riding their longest winning streak over the New York Yankees, yet they haven’t enjoyed much of an edge in the Bronx – something James Shields has learned firsthand.

Shields will try to match a club record by winning a sixth consecutive start when the Rays go for an eighth straight victory over the Yankees on Tuesday night.

Tampa Bay dropped New York to 0-3 for the first time in 14 years with a season-opening sweep at Tropicana Field, leaving the Rays undefeated in the series since a 4-2 loss at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 21.

The Rays (19-10), losers of two straight following a 12-1 surge, open an eight-game trip against AL East foes. Despite their recent dominance of New York (15-13), they have only two victories in their last eight games in the Bronx.

Shields (5-0, 3.05 ERA) has a chance to match Scott Kazmir’s team record set in 2008 with his sixth consecutive winning start, as he’s posted a 1.98 ERA in his previous five outings. Shields, though, has lost his last three starts at Yankee Stadium and is 2-6 with a 5.05 ERA there.

He’s surrendered 10 home runs in those 10 outings.

“You definitely have to be careful of the right-field wall, but for the most part, you have to concentrate on their hitters, who are dangerous no matter where you’re playing them,” he told the Rays’ official website.

The Yankees, though, have scored one total run in their last two home games – losses to Baltimore last Tuesday and Wednesday.

New York (15-13) begins a six-game homestand after salvaging a four-game split in Kansas City with a 10-4 victory Sunday.

Robinson Cano hit a grand slam – his second home run of the season – while Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher also homered as the Yankees nearly matched their run total of 11 from the previous five games.

“We know what these guys are capable of doing and eventually it’s going to come,” manager Joe Girardi said.

Cano and Mark Teixeira, batting .222 with four homers, need to improve, but Derek Jeter has a league-best 16 multihit games and is batting .397.

Jeter, five hits shy of tying Tony Gwynn for 17th all-time with 3,141, was 3 for 13 against the Rays last month. Jeter is a .314 hitter (22 for 70) against Shields, who is undefeated since giving up six runs in a 7-6 season-opening victory over New York.

Cano is batting .400 (24 for 60) with four homers, five doubles and two triples against the Rays right-hander.

Ivan Nova (3-1, 5.58) will be looking to rebound from his first loss in 21 starts. With a chance to tie Roger Clemens’ club record with 16 consecutive winning decisions, the right-hander gave up five runs and walked a season-high four in 6 1-3 innings of a 5-0 loss to the Orioles on Wednesday.

The Yankees scored 30 runs in Nova’s previous four starts.

“You pitch with the mindset that, ‘OK, your team is going to wake up any time,’” Nova said. “But they didn’t.”

Opponents are batting .341 against Nova, who is 2-0 with a 3.47 ERA in four starts versus Tampa Bay.

Rays center fielder B.J. Upton, 2 for 10 with two doubles off Nova, is batting .333 with 11 RBIs in 14 games since coming off the disabled list. He batted .412 with three homers as Tampa Bay dropped six of nine at Yankee Stadium in 2011.

It’s uncertain if left fielder Desmond Jennings will be available for the Rays on Tuesday after leaving Sunday’s 9-5 loss to Oakland with a sore left knee.

The 2012 MLB regular season is well underway with a full month of baseball already in the books. It is still a long road to October baseball but paths are already starting to take shape and many surprises have already occurred along the way. The beginning of the year brings promise but at this point in the season anything can still happen.

The highlight of the day will be when the Tampa Bay Rays visit the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York, N.Y.

James Shields (5-0, 3.05 ERA) will take the mound for the Rays looking for his sixth win of the season facing off against Ivan Nova (3-1, 5.58 ERA) of the Yankees. In this bitter AL East rivalry game, Tampa Bay is battling it out with the surprisingly red-hot Baltimore Orioles for the top spot in the division while the Yankees are slowly working their way back into the fight.

With a number of great games to be played on the day, this will be one of the better ones.

Check your local listings for game times and channel listings in your area. With MLB.TV all games are also available nationwide (local blackouts apply).

Note: All start times Eastern

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Indians, 7:05 p.m.

New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies, 7:05 p.m.

Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees, 7:05 p.m.

Texas Rangers at Baltimore Orioles, 7:05 p.m.

Washington Nationals at Pittsburgh Pirates, 7:05 p.m.

Atlanta Braves at Chicago Cubs, 8:05 p.m.

Miami Marlins at Houston Astros, 8:05 p.m.

Los Angeles Angels at Minnesota Twins, 8:10 p.m.

Boston Red Sox at Kansas City Royals, 8:10 p.m.

Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee Brewers, 8:10 p.m.

St. Louis Cardinals at Arizona Diamondbacks, 9:40 p.m.

Colorado Rockies at San Diego Padres, 10:05 p.m.

Toronto Blue Jays at Oakland Athletics, 10:05 p.m.

Detroit Tigers at Seattle Mariners, 10:10 p.m.

San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers, 10:10 p.m.

Sources:

All data provided by MLB.com

Paul Rados is a Cleveland based freelance sportswriter and Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook.