The New York Yankees offense was silenced again on Saturday night in a 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. With the loss, New York’s lead in the American League East is down to four games for the first time since May 11.
Aaron Judge, who has been the only consistent hitter in the lineup all season, crushed his Major League-leading 52nd home run of the season in the ninth inning to break the shutout. Other than that, the team had just two hits.
Clarke Schmidt made his third start of the season and surrendered a pair of runs on four hits over 4 1/3 innings. The bullpen gave the Yankees a chance to win as Lou Trivino, Ron Marinaccio, and Jonathan Loáisiga all had scoreless appearances.
The Yankees will try to salvage the final game of the series on Sunday with Frankie Montas on the mound. The first pitch is slated for 1:40 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].