Randy Arozarena hit a home run in the first inning as the Tampa Bay Rays won 5-4 against the Yankees on Thursday night. They took two out of three games from the Yankees, extending New York’s streak of winless series to eight.
Brandon Lowe’s RBI single in the fifth inning put Tampa Bay ahead for good against Nestor Cortes (4-8), and the Yankees lost for the 18th time in 25 games.
Austin Wells and Juan Soto homered for the Yankees, who have now lost four consecutive series. The Yankees started strong with a 17-3-2 record in their first 22 series but have since gone 0-7-1 since mid-June.
Next, the Yankees will play a three-game series against the AL East-leading Baltimore on Friday night, trailing the Orioles by two games.
Yankees star Aaron Judge commented on their recent struggles, saying, “Nobody likes losing, so nobody’s happy about it. But, we’re not feeling sorry for ourselves or anyone else because no one else is. We’re about to face a first-place team, and we need to bring our A-game over to Baltimore.”
Juan Soto had a strong performance going 2 for 3 with two walks, but he experienced discomfort after a swing in the seventh inning due to a lingering hand injury since late June. Despite this, he plans to play in Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
Shane Baz pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs and six hits in his second start since undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Tampa Bay secured its first home series win against an AL East opponent since early September and improved their record to 46-47.
Kevin Kelly (3-1) earned the win by getting two crucial outs, while Pete Fairbanks closed the game, allowing one run in the ninth inning but securing his 16th save in 18 opportunities and second of the series.
Second baseman José Caballero made a memorable catch to secure the final out, sprinting with his back to the plate, catching Gleyber Torres’ popup in short center field. Although the ball briefly popped out as he celebrated, a video review upheld the out call.
