The Rays’ pitching ain’t the A’s pitching.
The Yankees quickly realized that during Thursday’s series-opener, as Tampa Bay came an out away from shutting the Bombers out at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees had just spent three days battering an awful Oakland club and were looking forward to a four-game rematch with the first-place Rays, but Drew Rasmussen had no issues in an 8-2 win for Tampa Bay.
The right-handed Rasmussen blanked the Yankees for the second time in less than a week, twirling seven economical innings while walking none and striking out seven over 76 pitches. The Yanks made plenty of hard contact against Rasmussen, but two Jake Bauers singles were all they had to show for it.
“In the box,” Aaron Judge said when asked where the game was lost. “We got a couple pitches to hit there throughout the game. But you gotta tip your cap on some of those. He made his pitches when he had to. Kind of kept us off balance the whole time he was out there. Couldn’t really get anything going offensively.”
After 21 career innings against the Yankees, Rasmussen has yet to surrender a run to the division rival. That marks the third-longest career-starting scoreless streak by pitchers vs. the Yankees in the Expansion Era (since 1961), trailing only John Morris (22.1 innings) and Troy Percival (21.1), per Elias.
“We certainly haven’t solved him yet,” Aaron Boone said. “He’s obviously establishing himself as a really good pitcher. Just weren’t able to amount much.”
Rasmussen is also the only major league pitcher this season to throw five games with at least five scoreless innings.
The Yankees’ starter, Domingo German, offered a valiant effort himself, allowing three hits, two runs, one earned, three walks and three strikeouts over 5.2 innings and 87 pitches.
The Rays’ first run came on a double from Yandy Diaz, which brought Josh Lowe home with two outs. Lowe reached on a one-out error from Anthony Rizzo.
“I thought he threw the ball well,” said Jose Trevino, the Yankees’ catcher on Thursday. “Domingo’s been going out there and giving us some good innings and doing a good job.”
Boone then opted to pull German with two outs in the sixth following a walk to Taylor Walls. The manager asked Ron Marinaccio to record the final out, but a Luke Raley single and Manuel Margot hit-by-pitch set the stage for Lowe to hit a bases-clearing double. Just like that, it was 4-0.
“He definitely could have done stuff better, but he’s been good for us all year,” Trevino said of Marinaccio, who has a 2.70 ERA. “These days are gonna happen. You just roll with them.”
Walls then plated another run with a double off Albert Abreu in the seventh before Lowe crushed a two-run homer with Ryan Weber pitching the eighth. Isaac Paredes added an RBI double.
Gleyber Torres brought two home for the Yankees with two out in the ninth, but it was too little, too late.
The Yankees, fresh off a sweep of the A’s and trying to fight their way out of the American League East’s basement, were eager for another series with the Rays after losing two-out-of-three at Tropicana Field last weekend. The teams played three one-run games, but Thursday’s contest was hardly as competitive.
The Yankees will get another crack at Tampa Bay when Gerrit Cole takes the mound Friday. The ace has been dominant overall this season, but he gave up a 6-0 lead to the Rays last Sunday.
“We got an important one with our ace going tomorrow,” Boone said. “We gotta go get it.”
Tampa Bay plans on using right-hander Trevor Kelley as an opener Friday. Southpaw Josh Fleming is expected to follow as the bulk guy.
The Rays’ own No. 1, Shane McClanahan, is scheduled to start opposite Nestor Cortes on Saturday. Then Zach Eflin and Clarke Schmidt will take the mound on Mother’s Day.
The Rays could be without star shortstop Wander Franco in the coming days, as he left Thursday’s game with right-side neck spasms and tightness. However, the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin reported that Franco felt better postgame following treatment and hoped to play Friday. The Rays planned on reevaluating him Friday.
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