Sabathia’s no-no lasts 7 2-3, Yankees romp

CC Sabathia was four outs away from no-hitting the Rays, but Kelly Shoppach broke it up with a single to left on an 0-1 count and his 111th pitch. David Robertson immediately came on in relief, as the Yankees (3-2) went on to beat the Rays (3-2) 10-0.

Quick ‘Cap:
The Yankees defense was certainly behind Sabathia, highlighted by two web gems from corner infielders. The first came in the sixth when Mark Teixeira dove to his right to snare Jason Bartlett’s liner. In the seventh, Alex Rodriguez took a double down the line away from B.J. Upton, got to his feet and made the play.

Teixeira also came through for Sabathia on offense, as he ended his hitless drought with a three-hit day. Rodriguez had two hits and Robinson Cano launched a two-run homer in the fourth to lead the offense.

Sabathia finished with five strikeouts and two walks. Full box score here.

Thoughts:
Should the Yankees have gone down quickly in the eighth instead of rallying for four runs to keep CC in rhythm? I think so. It was only 4-0, but when you have Mariano Rivera in the back of the bullpen you have that luxury.

Still, a terrific outing for the big lefty. It would’ve been extremely tough for him to complete his no-hit bid at such a high pitch count.

Line of the Night:
Sabathia: W, 7 2-3 IP, H, 2 BB, 5 K. No explanation needed.

Up Next:
The Yankees will play on Sunday at 1:40 p.m. before another off day on Monday.