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Yankees end Rays' winning streak (w/video)

 
Brian McCann rounds the bases after hitting a go-ahead home run off Rays reliever Brandon Gomes in the sixth inning.
Brian McCann rounds the bases after hitting a go-ahead home run off Rays reliever Brandon Gomes in the sixth inning.
Published April 28, 2015

NEW YORK — The level of confidence in reliever Brandon Gomes was blatantly obvious Monday night when they brought him in during the fifth inning to replace starter Nathan Karns, who had not given up a run.

But Gomes failed them, and the Rays couldn't do enough to make up for it, their five-game winning streak ending with a 4-1 loss to the Yankees.

"This is the first time all year between spring training, Triple A and here where I felt like I actually didn't throw the ball well,'' Gomes said.

After sailing through four innings and getting two quick outs in the fifth, Karns loaded the bases on a walk, an infield single on a ball Evan Longoria dived to stop and another walk.

That was enough for manager Kevin Cash to opt for Gomes, who hadn't allowed a run in four appearances since being called up nine days ago and stranded the six runners he inherited.

"I thought Karns did a nice job getting to where he got. He started to work maybe a little hard to find the strike zone that last inning,'' Cash said. "The way the offenses were going, it seemed like that was the inning right there that was going to decide the game in the fifth.''

But Gomes wasn't sharp, particularly with his fastball, and he missed on several at key moments. Gomes walked Brett Gardner to force in the Yankees' first run, gave up a homer to Brian McCann the next inning to put them up again 2-1 and allowed a double that set them up for more.

"I was battling it all night, just poor command of my fastball,'' Gomes said. "That's why I walked Gardner, and that's why I gave up the homer to McCann. Just go back out there the next time I get that opportunity, and get right back at it.''

Gomes' performance was only part of the story as the Rays dropped out of a first-place tie and to 11-9.

Reliever Everett Teaford, making his Rays debut, had a hand in two New York runs. The Rays batters didn't do much, managing six hits (five singles), going 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and getting their only run when David DeJesus raced home on a fielder's choice grounder and was safe thanks to a bad throw by Stephen Drew.

The signs weren't good from the start for the Rays, as Steven Souza Jr. beat out an infield single with one out in the first and Asdrubal Cabrera laced a ball to left that hopped the wall for a ground-rule double, denying them a sure run. They didn't get it as Longoria struck out, ending his streaks of reaching base at eight plate appearances and hits at seven, and James Loney grounded out.

"Sometimes you're just going to have those nights,'' Cash said.

That's pretty much what Teaford said, too. He came in with two outs in the sixth and Carlos Beltran on second and allowed an RBI double to lefty-swinging Drew. Then in the eighth, he loaded the based by allowing two singles and a walk and hit Jacoby Ellsbury to force in another run.

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"There's really no excuse,'' Teaford said. "That was probably, I would say, by far the worst I've thrown the ball in 2015.''

It was that kind of night.

Contact Marc Topkin at mtopkin@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Rays.