Rays show the Yankees who's the boss

There is no delicate way to put it: the feisty Tampa Bay Rays outplayed the New York Yankees in every way possible this week, really showing them who is the boss of the American League East.

Yes, Yankees manager Joe Girardi is right when he says you can't make too much of two games. Yes, the Yankees were playing a healthy young team while they were completely banged up. But in truth, the Rays pitched better, got hits at the right times and made plays when they needed.

The Yankees starting pitching, which was carrying the team for the first six weeks of the season, experienced a collective slump this week. Bad timing? Definitely. The offense hasn't shown signs of life, except for too little, too late rallies in the last two games. And the bullpen struggles continue although Dave Robertson's fierce outing is promising.

The Rays, on the other hand, looked like world beaters. They spanked the Yanks early and often and slammed the door shut on the few rally attempts the Yanks could put together. I give them all the credit in the world although I can’t wait until mid-July when the Yankees are back at full strength. Hopefully, they’ll put forth a better effort.