The New York Yankees had a 15 1/2 game lead in the American League East on July 8, but after Friday night’s 9-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, the lead is down to five games.
New York trailed Tampa Bay, 1-0, after six innings, but the Rays broke it open with two runs in the seventh and six in the eighth.
Domingo Germán threw the ball well for the Yankees again as he surrendered three runs (two earned) over 6 2/3 innings. Greg Weissert and Anthony Banda each gave up three runs in relief. Position player Marwin Gonzalez recorded the final out of the eighth.
New York had five hits and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position while leaving 10 on base.
The Yankees will hand the ball to Clarke Schmidt on Saturday as they look to bounce back. The first pitch is set for 7:10 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].