ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- After another deflating loss, Brett Gardner knows the math is tough for the New York Yankees to reach the playoff.We need to win 11 games, the left fielder said after Thursday nights 2-0 defeat to the Tampa Bay Rays.When told 10 remained, he responded: We need to win 11 out of 10.Blake Snell and the Rays bullpen combined to strand 11 New York runners, preventing a much-needed three-game sweep by the Yankees.New York went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position, including 0 for 7 against Snell. The Yankees are three games behind Detroit for the second AL wild-card spot and also trail Baltimore, Houston and Seattle.Snell (6-8) gave up five hits and three walks. New York had scoring threats in four of five innings against him, leaving the bases loaded in the third when Chase Headley flied out. Headley returned to New Yorks lineup after missing three games because of back tightness.We had a couple innings set up but werent able to get a hit, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. I felt like we were going to break through if we can keep it close, but tonight we werent able to.Chase Whitley, in his third game since returning from Tommy John surgery, allowed two hits in 2 2/3 innings, and Alex Colome finished for his 35th save in 37 chances.The feel that he has for his off-speed right now says a lot about him because you just dont see that from guys coming back from an extensive rehab, Rays manager Kevin Cash said of Whitley.Brad Miller had an RBI single in the first after Logan Forsythe led off with a catchable popup to right field that Aaron Hicks allowed to drop in front of him for a hit. Girardi said Hicks lost sight of the ball off the bat.Corey Dickerson hit a solo homer in the sixth off Luis Cessa (4-3), who gave two runs and six hits in six innings.Yankees rookie catcher Gary Sanchez threw out Kevin Kiermaier at second base in the third inning to end the speedsters run of 18 consecutive successful stolen bases attempts. Sanchez picked Curt Casali off second one inning later.Sanchez went 0 for 2 but walked twice.He can help you in so many ways, Girardi said.ROOKIES RITUALNew York rookies, including Sanchez, were given blue Yankees one-sie pajamas to wear for the flight from Florida to Toronto, where a four-game series with the Blue Jays starts Friday night. Teams through the majors have similar trips in September for rookies.TRAINERS ROOMYankees: RHP Masahiro Tanaka will miss his start Monday at Toronto due to a slight lower right forearm strain. ... 2B Starlin Castro (right hamstring) expects to be back soonRays: LHP Xavier Cedeno (neck) wont play again this season.INSTRUCTION TIMEYankees 1B Greg Bird (right labrum surgery) remains on target to take batting practice against pitchers at instructional league early next week. . Reggie Jackson and Alex Rodriguez are expected to spent time as instructors with the Yankees instructional league team.MOVING DAYYankees: Minor league LHP Phil Coke was traded to Pittsburgh for $1.Rays: INF Juniel Querecuto had his contract selected from Double-A Montgomery and started at third base in his big league debut.UP NEXTYankees: RHP Bryan Mitchell (1-1) will start against LHP Francisco Liriano (1-2) Friday night.Rays: RHP Chris Archer (8-18) will look to avoid a team-record 19th loss when he pitches against LHP Drew Pomeranz (2-5) and AL East-leading Boston on Friday night. Darius Slayton Youth Jersey . -- The plastic that was taped across the lockers in Oaklands clubhouse came down and the champagne that was on ice went back into the cooler. Odell Beckham Jr Giants Jersey . Soukalova missed only one target and completed the 15-kilometre course in 40 minutes, 32.6 seconds for both victories in this seasons individual discipline. Darya Domracheva of Belarus was second, 34. http://www.giantsrookiestore.com/Giants-Odell-Beckham-Jr-Jersey/ . Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek defeated Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on the indoor hard-court at Belgrade Arena. The victory improved the Czech pairs impressive cup doubles record to 14-1. Dexter Lawrence Womens Jersey . Soukalova missed only one target and completed the 15-kilometre course in 40 minutes, 32.6 seconds for both victories in this seasons individual discipline. Darya Domracheva of Belarus was second, 34. Phil Simms Youth Jersey . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL. Wednesdays slate has no lock-down ace, but it features a slew of starters looking to put a rough first half in the rearview mirror and get the second half rolling on a positive note. Find out which pitchers are in the best position to do so, along with the hitters ready to pounce on those not so fortunate, in Wednesdays Daily Notes.PitchingEliteWith all the injuries to National League hurlers, including a couple on his own team, Jacob deGrom has a very good chance of making the All-Star team. A strong performance in his last outing before the Midsummer Classic could seal the deal. The 28-year-old is in a great spot to do just that as the Miami Marlins visit Citi Field. The Fish dont fan much, and deGroms 8.8 K/9 is very good but not dominant, so the New York Mets righty sets up better for DFS cash than GPP action. Despite a 2.62 ERA, deGrom has only four victories, but that could change with the Marlins handing the ball to Justin Nicolino.Confession time: Johnny Cuetos original projected Game Score was manually adjusted to land him in elite territory, as he is far and away the best option for DFS cash play. Cuetos 7.8 K/9 might be league average, but he and Clayton Kershaw are the only hurlers averaging at least 7 1/3 innings per start. Further, the Colorado Rockies visit AT&T Park carrying a generous 25 percent strikeout rate versus righties on the road?and a slightly below average wOBA in that scenario.SolidConfession time, part two: Both Sonny Gray and Michael Pinedas projected Game Scores were originally 60 and thus worthy of elite status, but leaving them there doesnt pass the sniff test with respect to DFS. Please keep in mind that its impossible to come up with a one-size-fits-all ranking, so when the Game Score rank doesnt coincide with the DFS potential, we reserve the right to tweak it.Sonny Grays Game Score was buoyed by a soft road matchup against the Minnesota Twins, but even so, solid feels like a better descriptor than elite. Over his past five outings, the Oakland Athletics righty has tossed 31 2/3 innings with 21 whiffs and five walks. Despite excellent control, a 6.0 K/9 with one outing longer than six innings in that span is not elite for DFS purposes. Gray is still in play for cash action, but theres some risk. To wit, in two of the five efforts cited above, Gray gave up five and seven earned runs.Pineda, on the other hand, is sporting stellar peripherals, with a 10.9 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9, but hes serving up too many long balls, as evidenced by a 1.5 HR/9. In a vacuum, Pinedas walk and whiff rates are elite, but he isnt lasting deep into games, an important trait of the elite. The right-hander has pitched into the seventh only once this season. His Game Score also benefits from a weak matchup, as the New York Yankees are in the Windy City for a date with the Chicago White Sox. The hosts check in with a below average weighted on base average (wOBA) albeit with an average strikeout rate versus righties. Pinedas dominance makes him a GPP candidate with a strong chance for a win with Miguel Gonzalez as his mound foe.Jaime Garcia ended his first half on a strong note, as he tossed eight strong against the Milwaukee Brewers, though the effort was tainted by four free passes. Truth be told, the St. Louis Cardinals left-handers control has been spotty this season and has led to his highest WHIP since 2012. Garcia opens his second half with a challenge, as the Pittsburgh Pirates visit Busch Stadium. The Bucs are very productive versus southpaws, but theyre also strikeout-prone. The combination, along with the Redbirds potent attack facing Jeff Locke, means Garcia is one of the better GPP candidates on the Wednesday docket.Drew Smyly continues to be one of the more frustrating arms, both for seasonal and DFS play. His 10.9 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 are elite, but the leftys 1.8 HR/9 harpooned his first half. Lets take the glass half-full angle: Hes healthy, the velocity is fine, and he has pitched into the seventh inning in three of his past four outings. But what about that 1.8 HR/9, which is even worse considering he allowed seven homers in his first eight starts and then 12 in the ensuing eight? The Los Angeles Angels visit Tropicana Field as Smyly embarks on his second half. The Halos dont whiff much, which doesnt bode well for DFS, so consider the Tampa Bay southpaw a contrarian GPP option at best.Washington Nationals righty Tanner Roark profiles as one of the better value plays on the slate, for either cash or GPP exposure. The Milwaukee Brewers travel to Nationals Park toting a charitable 26 percent strikeout clip against right-handers.ddddddddddddKevin Gausman is another guy with promising peripherals who has been done in by a plethora of permitted big flies. Curiously, Camden Yards isnt the culprit, as the Baltimore Orioles right-handers has allowed more homers on the road than at home. Gausman and the Orioles are on the road as they continue an interleague set with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The home teams lineup is average, which yields Gausman a cash option on sites needing multiple hurlers.StreamersShelby Millers woes have dropped his ESPN ownership to just 17 percent. If theres an ideal scenario to take a chance on the scuffling righty, its a home date with the San Diego Padres. Only Millers Atlanta Braves teammates are worse against right-handers in terms of wOBA. Unlike the Braves, however, the Friars are quite strikeout-prone.The parallel isnt perfect, but what newly acquired Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher?Bud Norris is doing is somewhat reminiscent of what Matt Shoemaker did earlier in the season. It took the fantasy community too long to trust Shoemaker, and the same thing is happening with Norris, as his ESPN ownership is just 30 percent. Granted, the visiting Baltimore Orioles are dangerous, but they also strike out a lot and will be without their designated hitter in this interleague affair.Talk about a contrast in styles: Fireballing rookie Michael Fulmer and the Detroit Tigers welcome crafty Josh Tomlin and the Cleveland Indians?to Comerica Park. Both offenses are dangerous, but both right-handers have been throwing too well to leave them on the bench.If Marcus Stromans previous outing is any indication, it wont be long before hes a fixture in the solid tier. That said, he has had his moments a few times in the first half, only to follow a strong effort up with a clunker. Its worth seeing if he finally has things going in the right direction with a home date against the Kansas City Royals.AvoidThere were a few borderline calls, so if you want a little more analysis, please post the details in the comments below, and Ill be glad to help you out, or if its a 140-or-fewer-character question and answer, Im on Twitter @ToddZola. Joining Martin Perez and Justin Nicolino as avoids are Ian Kennedy, Jeff Locke and Miguel Gonzalez. Kennedys home run tendencies are too risky for the Rogers Centre, the Cardinals keep the line moving offense is the type that gives Locke fits, and the Yankees have too many left-handed bats to trust Gonzalez.HittersAfter struggling against left-handers in June with a 0.302 wOBA, the Boston Red Sox are back to raking, with a 0.488 mark in July, albeit in just three games with a lefty on the hill. Forget the actual numbers, but the Beantown bats are booming again, led by Mookie Betts, Dustin Pedroia and Hanley Ramirez, who all enjoy the platoon edge of Texas Rangers southpaw Martin Perez.The main hindrance to stacking New York Mets is their penchant for fanning, especially against lefties. But when the lefty is Justin Nicolino and his 4.2 K/9, there isnt concern. Jose Reyes will look to provide a spark for the Metropolitans with Yoenis Cespedes, Wilmer Flores and Travis dArnaud in play against the Miami Marlins mediocre southpaw.In a season in which balls have been flying out of the yard at record pace, Chicago White Sox righty Miguel Gonzalez has avoided gopher-itis, but he still isnt a very good pitcher. The New York Yankees can parade a bunch of left-handed swingers to the dish, including Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, Brian McCann, Mark Teixeira,?Carlos Beltran and cost-efficient options such as?Didi Gregorius and Chase Headley.After a tepid start to the 2016 campaign, the Toronto Blue Jays are again mashing right-handers, which does not bode well for Ian Kennedy and his 1.9 HR/9, especially in the Rogers Centre. Josh Donaldson is always in play, as is Edwin Encarnacion, assuming he isnt serving his suspension. Michael Saunders and Troy Tulowitzki are swinging well, as are?Devon Travis and?Russell Martin.Most likely to go yard: Josh DonaldsonLets stay north of the border and call on the Bringer of Rain, Donaldson, to bring us a home run.Most likely to steal a base: Jean SeguraThe battery of Colin Rea and Derek Norris is one of the best to run on in the Wednesday slate, so look for Segura to take advantage with the green light. ' ' '