Yankees' J.A. Happ shuts down Rays | Rapid reaction

by Felix Pantaleón

Yankees starting pitcher J.A. Happ threw seven scoreless innings, giving up just one hit, in a 4-1 win over the Rays at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday.

NEW YORK — If Luis Severino can’t be trusted, the Yankees just watched J.A. Happ show he might be the next-best pick.

Happ’s seven scoreless innings in a 4-1 win over the Rays at Yankee Stadium before 40,939 on Tuesday was more than just what his team needed after watching the lowly Mets smack around Severino, their struggling ace.

It was a show of what Happ can do at the height of his powers, and it was why the 35-year-old lefty should get serious consideration to start the American League Wild Card Game, which the Yankees are likely to host.

Happ gave up just one hit — a weak fly ball — while striking out four and walking four. He threw 106 pitches.

Happ, a 35-year-old, has been excellent since the Yankees acquired him in a trade-deadline deal with the Blue Jays. The 12-year veteran was expected to, at least, bolster the back-end of the rotation.

Instead, he’s looked like a front-line type, someone the Yankees can count on. Which is the opposite of right-hander Severino, who over his last six starts is 1-4 with a 7.84 ERA. The Yankees have been at a loss to explain Severino’s drop off from his Cy Young-caliber first-half.

Not hard to see why Happ has excelled in his first three starts in pinstripes.

Backed by Austin Romine’s two-run homer in the fifth and an Aaron Hicks’ RBI bloop single in the first, Happ attacked Tampa Bay’s lineup with a ton of fastballs, locating them well.

The only hit Happ surrendered came in the fourth inning, when C.J. Cron lifted a low fly ball to left field. It fell just in front of Brett Gardner.

What it means

The Yankees are 4-2 on their season-high 11-game homestand. They beat the Rangers, 3-1, in a four-game set before falling the their crosstown rivals and their ace, Jacob deGrom, on Monday.

They started the day a season-high 10 games behind the Red Sox for first place in the AL East.

They were also 3 1/2 games up on second-place Oakland in the Wild Card.

What you should know

Romine’s blast was his eighth of the season. That’s double his previous career high of four, which he set in 2016.

Greg Bird doubled in Andjuar in the eighth inning. Bird’s double was a long fly to right-center field.

Neil Walker started in right field in place of Stanton, who has been nursing a sore left hamstring for about a couple weeks.

Next

Yankees righty Luis Cessa (1-2, 4.50 ERA) vs. Rays pitcher to be determined at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.

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