Well, it wasn't exactly the start the Tampa Bay Rays were aiming for as they entered the biggest September in team history.
The New York Yankees brought their fading playoff hopes to Tropicana Field on Tuesday night and left with a 7-2 victory. That, coupled with the Boston Red Sox's 14-2 win against the Baltimore Orioles, moved the Red Sox to within four games of the first-place Rays in the American League East.
"We made some mistakes that contributed (to the loss)," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "Plays we usually make. They took advantage of everything."
The loss, just the second during the first seven games on this nine-game homestand, snapped a five-game winning streak for the Rays, who still have the best record in baseball.
Tuesday was the first of 19 games against teams with winning records for the Rays, a stretch that will not only test them physically but also mentally as they push through the first pennant race in the team's 11-year history.
Physically, they were fine.
Mentally? They weren't their sharpest.
Rays starter Matt Garza was bothered by a few plays that went against him during the fourth inning, and the Yankees capitalized by scoring three times - the last two on a home run off the C-Ring catwalk in left field by Xavier Nady.
Derek Jeter opened the inning with an infield single, beating the throw to first by third baseman Willy Aybar, who chose to play back on the ball.
Jeter then stole second, reaching the base easily when shortstop Jason Bartlett couldn't handle the one-hop throw from catcher Shawn Riggans. Garza threw his hands in the air after that play.
"I felt I made a lot of good pitches but things didn't go my way," Garza said. "I was more disappointed about the whole situation. It was one of those nights when I was not all intact, and I paid for it."
That's been Garza's Achilles heal. When he's in control, he is tough to hit. When he gets upset on the mound, look out.
Bobby Abreu moved Jeter to third with a fly ball that B.J. Upton ran down on the center field warning track.
Garza then became upset when he didn't get a called third strike on Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez walked. Jason Giambi drove Jeter home with a sacrifice fly. Nady followed with his ninth home run since joining the Yankees in late July.
Garza slammed his glove along the bench when he reach the dugout, than walked angrily up the tunnel that leads to the Rays clubhouse, shouting all the way.
The mistakes continued in the fifth when Garza threw away Robinson Cano's chopper back to the mound. A sacrifice bunt, a triple by Johnny Damon and a grounder to short by Jeter and the Yankees were up 5-1.
With Mike Mussina giving up hits but not runs, that was enough offense for the Yankees. Mussina, who has not lost since July 28, improved to 17-7 this season and won his 19th career game against Tampa Bay.
"They're still the Yankees," Maddon said. "You look at their lineup, their numbers overall, they're good. They're really good, actually. I know they've hit some rough moments but they're still the Yankees."
The Rays actually outhit the Yankees 12-9, but could only string enough together to score twice.
Two of those hits came in the second inning when Aybar led off with a single, and Eric Hinske followed with a ball off the left field wall. Damon fell down as he caught up to the ball, and Hinske continued past second and on to third, reaching the base safely with a head-first slide.
The problem was, Rays third base coach Tom Foley help Aybar.
With two runners on the base, Aybar tried to score but was easily thrown out.
Maddon called a mistake of aggression.
Call it what you want, but it took the Rays out of a big inning.
Hinske held at third when Bartlett grounded out to third and was stranded when Gabe Gross took a called third strike to end the inning.
"We did a lot of things well," Maddon said. "We messed up in some areas where we normally don't. . . . It's stuff that just happens. You can't be perfect every night, and we'll move on to (tonight)."
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