The New York Yankees (21-18) bullpen fell apart, and the offense was silent until the final inning in an 8-2 series-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Rays (30-9) on Thursday night at Yankee Stadium.
It was just a 1-0 game after five innings, but Tampa Bay put up a three-spot in the sixth and cruised from there.
New York generated just two hits over seven innings against Rays starter Drew Rasmussen, both of which came from Jake Bauers, who had a pair of singles.
The Yankees’ only offense came with two outs in the ninth inning when Gleyber Torres lined a two-run single.
Domingo Germán allowed two runs (one earned) over 5 2/3 innings. The right-hander was pulled from a 1-0 contest at 87 pitches. Ron Marinaccio came on and struggled, allowing three runs, one of which was charged to Germán. Albert Abreu gave up one, while Ryan Weber surrendered three.
The Yankees will try to even this four-game series on Friday at 7:05 p.m. with Gerrit Cole on the hill.
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Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.
