The New York Yankees fell to 8-5 and dropped their third straight game in a 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night at Tropicana Field.
New York took an early lead in the first inning as Aaron Judge singled, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error before scoring on Cody Bellinger’s sacrifice fly. Amed Rosario followed with an RBI triple to give the Yankees a 2-0 advantage.Tampa Bay responded immediately against Luis Gil, who was making his season debut. Yandy Díaz tied the game with a two-run home run in the first, and the Rays added another run in the second on a run-scoring groundout to take a 3-2 lead. Gil settled in after the early damage, finishing with three runs allowed on three hits across 4.0 innings with two strikeouts and three walks.
The Rays extended their lead in the sixth inning against the bullpen. Brent Headrick allowed an RBI single, and another run scored on a groundout after Camilo Doval entered, pushing the lead to 5-2.
Ben Rice provided a spark with a pinch-hit solo home run in the eighth to cut the deficit, but the Yankees could not complete the comeback. New York put two runners on in the ninth before a forceout and two outs ended the threat.The Yankees continue the series Saturday at 6:10 p.m., with Max Fried scheduled to start against Nick Martinez.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.