The New York Yankees (19-15) couldn’t complete a comeback on Sunday afternoon, falling 7-5 to the Tampa Bay Rays (16-18) in the Bronx and dropping their second straight series to an American League East opponent.
Rookie Will Warren endured a tough outing from the start after a rain delay pushed the first pitch back 30 minutes. The right-hander struggled with command and was hurt by a fielding error from Oswald Peraza in the second. Despite striking out a career-high eight, Warren allowed seven hits and five runs, including a solo homer in the third and a small-ball rally in the fourth. He exited with two outs in the fifth after throwing a season-high 102 pitches.
The offense showed some life late. Cody Bellinger put the Yankees on the board in the sixth with a two-run shot, the 200th homer of his career. In the eighth, Aaron Judge extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a leadoff double. Paul Goldschmidt drove in a run, and Jorbit Vivas collected his first big league hit, a two-run single, trimming the deficit to two.
However, the Rays’ bullpen, anchored by Pete Fairbanks, shut the door in the ninth with three straight strikeouts. Despite the late push, the Yankees were out-hit 16-8.
The Yankees now turn the page to a new series Monday night, with Carlos Rodón set to face the red-hot Nick Pivetta and the San Diego Padres. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].