Rays whip Yankees, 11-2 – break Yanks’ eight-game win streak

Princeton, WV – The Princeton Rays put up six runs in the fist inning and never looked back as they cruised to an 11-2 win over Pulaski. The loss put an end to the eight game wining streak and evened the current series at a game apiece.

Yankees starter Jhonatan Munoz had his worst outing of the year tonight and just couldn’t keep the ball away from the barrel of the Princeton bat’s as he allowed 12 hits and 10 runs in just 2.1 innings. It was Munoz’s worst outing since his season debut when he gave up nine runs on six hits including three home runs against the Bluefield Blue Jays way back on June 22nd.

Princeton led off the game tonight with a double and then they hit a two-run home run on the very next pitch. Munoz then hit the following batter before giving up the third extra base hit in the first four batters with another double to give the Rays runners on second and third. Three straight singles scored two more runs and the Rays had a 4-0 lead with nobody out and the bases still loaded. Munoz finally got the first out with a strikeout before giving up the seventh hit of the inning to score two more runs for the Rays before a double play ended the miserable first for the Yanks.

The Yanks got a lead off walk to begin the top of the second but went down in a row after that to send the Rays back to work. Nick Schnell, who hit the home run in the first inning, led off the second with a double down the left field line. Munoz got an out before another single to score Schnell and add to the Rays lead. They added three more runs in the third inning to put them ahead 10-0. Schnell wasn’t done with his night as he added yet another home run in the bottom of the fifth, this time off Kenlly Montas, as Princeton went ahead 11-0.

The Yankees finally put their first run on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth inning when Chad Bell hit his team-leading eighth home run on the first pitch of the at-bat with two outs. The Yankees added one more run in the top of the eighth when Robert Javier drew a lead off walk and then advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Roberto Chirinos scored Javier with a single up the middle to end the scoring for the night at 11-2.

The seven hits by the Rays in the first inning set a new single-game high allowed by the Yankees for hits in a single inning and the Rays 15 total hits tied the most the Yanks have given up all year. The 10 earned runs that Munoz gave up were the most by a pitcher this year and the nine runs tied the largest margin of defeat this season for Pulaski.

The Yankees and Rays will face off in a rubber match tonight as the Yankees look to win their fourth consecutive series.