Damn. The Yanks just can't shake Tampa. Nine respectful but terrorized ponderings

We lead Boston by 10, Toronto and Baltimore by nine. But the hateful Rays, in their renovated ping pong ball, just keep winning. It's too early to play scoreboard ball, but damn, one of these two teams will soon blink. Eovaldi, tonight. Ugh. 

Nine ponderings:

1. Isn't May 5 too early to subject your closer to a two-inning save? That's what Boone did last night with David Bednar. In the modern reality, no closer lasts the season without a series of meltdowns. Are we doomed to overuse Bednar until he frays? We did it with Clay Holmes. Here we go again.

2. Yanks' hype over the impending return of Geritt Cole and Carlos Rodon gleefully ignores the gorilla pooping in the woods: Both are getting pummeled in their minor league rehabs. Last night, for Scranton, Rodon gave up five ER in 6.1 innings. WTF?

3. Last night's big, beautiful bat: Jose Caballero's perfect bunt single, which led to the rally. I believe bunt singles unhinge pitchers even more than a HR. A bomb clears the bases, lets the pitcher start over. A bunt leaves a nagging distraction at first, and a reminder that we can steal a run without hard contact. (Yanks must use this tonight against Eovaldi.)

4. Last night for Scranton: Anthony Volpe, 2 for 4 with a SB. In Volpe's new reality, he must run, run, run... 

5.  Also for Scranton, George Lombard 0-3 and Spencer Jones 1-4 with a three-run HR. (He is 2nd in the IL, with 11, behind another giant outfielder, 23-year-old Kevin Alcantara, 6'6", whom the Yankees traded away for Anthony Rizzo.) Jones struck out once.

6. If you're a rookie appearing in Yankee Stadium for the first time, giving up three runs in the first inning is par for the course. Elmer Rodriguez walked his first two batters and ended up surrendering three runs in the first Still, he straightened out and lasted five innings. He's been sent back to Scranton, but I gotta believe he feels good about himself, and that he'll play a role in October. 

7. Down in Double A Somerset, a 24-year-old 2B named Marco Luciano is having a moment: batting .326 with 9 HRs. He's an ex-Pirates farmhand, picked up last winter by way of Baltimore. Last year, in the PCL, he hit 23 HRs, batted .224. Not the greatest record, but if he keeps hitting the Scranton infield could soon be crowded.

8. Considering how well the Yankee starting rotation has done, it's hard to justify how threadbare this bullpen looks. Last night, when Tim Hill faltered, the bullpen backed up like a sewer pipe. Blackburn, Bird, Doval... who has faith in any of them? This is our weakness, and it will take us down.

9. The death of John Sterling has unified the Yankiverse in a manner that few players could have done. Of all the words and emotions poured into moment, I'll take Suzyn's refusal to take last night's game off: She said John would never approve of missing a game. Fuck me. Tears.