ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Ivan Nova couldn’t pitch get out of the fifth inning and infielder Dean Anna finished on the mound. It was that kind of game for the New York Yankees.
“When you see me in there, it’s not a good day,” said Anna, who played the first seven innings at shortstop in the Yankees’ 16-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday night.
Nova (2-2) gave up a career-high four home runs before leaving in the fifth with right elbow soreness. The right-hander allowed eight runs and eight hits in four-plus innings before telling manager Joe Girardi he “felt his elbow.” Girardi promptly took him out and the Yankees are awaiting the results of an MRI.
“Obviously you’re really concerned whenever a guy leaves a game because he feels something,” Girardi said. “Starters are not easy to replace.”
Ryan Hanigan homered twice and had six RBIs, and Chris Archer continued his dominance over the Yankees.
Hanigan drove in his final two runs with a single off Anna, who gave up two runs and three hits in the eighth inning.
“The good thing is tonight’s game only counts as one, even though it was pretty lopsided and it was ugly,” Girardi said.
Archer (2-1) allowed one run and three hits in 6 2-3 innings. He has won all four career starts against the Yankees, allowing four earned runs in 28 2-3 innings.
Wil Myers, who also homered twice, and Evan Longoria both drove in four runs for the Rays.
Myers hit his second homer of the game, a three-run shot off Matt Daley during a four-run fifth as the Rays took a 10-1 lead. The 2013 AL Rookie of the Year ended a 10-game RBI drought by driving in three runs in Tampa Bay’s 11-5 victory Friday night over the Yankees.
“Hitting’s contagious, and you saw that he last two nights,” Myers said.
Longoria hit his 164th homer, which broke a tie with Carlos Pena for the most in Rays history.
Myers put the Rays up 1-0 on his first homer since Sept. 16 in the second. Tampa Bay added three runs in the third when Hanigan had a solo homer and Longoria added a two-run shot off Nova, who had his streak of not allowing more than one homer in a start end at 26. It was the first time Nova had given up multiple homers in a game since Aug. 21, 2012, when the Chicago White Sox hit two.
Hanigan extended the lead to 6-0 on his a two-run shot during the fourth.
Kelly Johnson hit an RBI double off Archer in the fifth.
Yankees right fielder Carlos Beltran went 0 for 3 as the designated hitter after sitting out Friday because of left shoulder and right wrist soreness. He flipped over the short wall down the right-field line while chasing Desmond Jennings’ foul ball Thursday.
NOTES: With a day game Sunday, Yankees SS Derek Jeter was rested. … Longoria stopped a 49 at-bat homer drought. … New York closer David Robertson (groin) threw 1 1-3 scoreless innings in an extended spring training game and expects to rejoin the team Tuesday. … Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira (strained right leg muscle) went 2 for 4 in the same game as Robertson and said he is ready to return Sunday. … Jennings was out of the lineup for the second straight game due to a groin injury. … Tampa Bay recalled LHP C.J. Riefenhauser from Triple-A Durham. … Yankees LHP Vidal Nuno (0-0) and Rays LHP Cesar Ramos (0-1) are Sunday’s scheduled starters.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.