Sunday was supposed to be CC Sabathia's day to pitch. But the only CC pitching for the Yankees against the Rays was reliever Chris Capuano, whose presence in a game usually means Joe Girardi is throwing in the towel because of a large deficit.
So it was as the defensively challenged Yankees lost to the Rays, 8-1, before 35,050 at Yankee Stadium.
Instead of the struggling Sabathia -- who was moved to Wednesday -- Girardi gave the ball to Ivan Nova, who had been brilliant in his first two starts after Tommy John surgery.
Nova was not brilliant against the Rays.