With rain falling in the Bronx before and during the Yankees’ delayed series finale against the Rays, the Bombers lost at home, 7-5, on Sunday.
The defeat marked the first-place Yankees’ second straight series loss to a divisional opponent, as the last-place Orioles took 2-of-3 from them in Baltimore earlier this week before the fourth-place Rays did the same. The tight loss also saw bench players J.C. Escarra, Pablo Reyes and Oswald Peraza all in the starting lineup.
Peraza, manning shortstop in place of the unavailable Anthony Volpe (shoulder), made an error prior to the Rays’ first run, which came on a Chandler Simpson force out in the second inning. Then the third inning saw Jonathan Aranda take Will Warren deep for a solo home run.
A two-run single from Brandon Lowe padded the Rays’ lead in the fourth. Lowe’s knock came after a catcher interference call against Escarra loaded the bases.
The Rays then scored on a Yandy Díaz infield single. Peraza made a diving stop up the middle, but the typically reliable defender bobbled the ball as the speedy Simpson made it to third. A heads-up Simpson then raced home. Peraza tried to gun him down, but an off-balance throw took an impeding bounce off the pitcher’s mound.
Warren logged 4.2 innings, allowing three earned runs and five total. While he set season-highs with eight strikeouts and 102 pitches, he also totaled seven hits, 10 hard-hit balls and three walks as his ERA increased to 5.65.
Meanwhile, the Yankees’ spring training-esque lineup had a tough time against Rays starter Taj Bradley. Only Cody Bellinger got to the right-hander over 5.1 innings, as he pulled a two-run shot to right in the sixth inning.
It was the 200th homer of Bellinger’s career.
Paul Goldschmidt added an RBI single in the eighth inning. Jorbit Vivas, who pinch-hit for Reyes in the seventh, followed up with a two-run single for his first MLB hit.
That wasn’t enough for a comeback, though, and Aaron Boone’s decision to not pitch-hit for Escarra with the bases loaded and nobody out prior to the Vivas at-bat came into question. Escarra tapped into a 1-2-3 double play, and Ben Rice pinch-hit for Oswaldo Cabrera later in the inning. Meanwhile, Austin Wells replaced Escarra, who moved to third, behind the plate in the ninth.
With a disappointing stretch of American League East play behind them, the Yankees will now turn their attention to a second-place Padres team on Monday.
Carlos Rodón will take on Nick Pivetta in the opener, while former teammates Clarke Schmidt and Michael King are set to duel on Tuesday. Max Fried and Dylan Cease are lined up for the series finale.
Carlos Carrasco was originally scheduled to start for the Yankees on Tuesday, but that slot went to Schmidt after some right side discomfort prevented him from making a scheduled start on Saturday.
Carrasco surrendered two earned runs out of the bullpen on Sunday. The struggling veteran now has a 5.91 ERA this season.
