Yankees' offense fails again in 2-1 loss to Rays

NEW YORK – The Yankees showed up to start the second half of their season Tuesday night after the first half had been weighed down into mediocrity by so many below-average averages, among other things.

Their lineup against the Rays at Yankee Stadium featured no .300 hitters. The averages from No. 4 (Mark Teixeira) through No. 8 (Francisco Cervelli) ranged from .242 to .217 at first pitch. The team hit a collective .252 over the first 81 games.

And now they weren't exactly facing a cure for sick bats in David Price. The lefty, who's the subject of trade speculation, gave up one run and all of the Yankees' four hits and struck out nine over seven innings.

Tampa Bay ended up winning 2-1, handing the Yankees their season-high-tying fourth straight loss and eighth in 10 games, making them a .500 team at 41-41 and dropping them 3½ back of the Blue Jays.

So Joe Girardi, why can't this offense get going?

"If I knew, I would tell you, but I don't know," the manager said.

Carlos Beltran, any thoughts on why the bats haven't clicked?

"No idea," Beltran said after an 0-for-3-and-a-walk night dropped him to .216.

Brett Gardner, surprised?

"Maybe it's a little bit surprising," Gardner said. "But for whatever reason, we haven't done it."

Not a lot of answers here. Maybe the answers are on another team.

For now, Girardi said: "These are the guys we have and these are the guys who have to get it done on a nightly basis."

This was a 1-1 game when James Loney stepped up against Hiroki Kuroda to begin the sixth. Loney sent a ball flying toward a crash-landing in the Yankees' bullpen in right-center.

"Price was pitching really well," Kuroda said via an interpreter. "It was going to be a real tight game. I had to make sure I minimized the damage when I was on the mound."

Kuroda allowed nine hits and fanned seven over eight innings in falling to 5-6.

"Outstanding performance," Girardi said.

The last-place Rays, now 12 under .500 at 37-49 and 9½ back, had nicked Kuroda for the first run of the game in the fourth on Logan Forsythe's bouncing RBI single through the middle.

Then Derek Jeter opened the Yankees' fourth with their first hit off Price (7-7), a booming double to left-center. It marked two-base hit No. 534 for Jeter, tying him with Lou Gehrig for the most in franchise history.

Jacoby Ellsbury singled him to third. Jeter held on Teixeira's fly to right. Then Price caught Ellsbury leaving early on a steal attempt. The rundown got botched when shortstop Ben Zobrist hit Ellsbury with a throw between first and second. Jeter raced home, and the Yankees had their lone run.

Jeter was also on second with no outs in the sixth.

"You've got to find a way to get him over and get him in," Girardi said.

The Yankees ultimately left runners at first and second with two out in the ninth against Grant Balfour. They finished 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position, leaving eight on base.

"It's not just a couple of guys," Girardi said. "It's a number of guys."

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