Margot, Rays top struggling Yanks

NEW YORK — Manuel Margot hit a tiebreaking two-run homer, Tyler Glasnow overcame cramps and poor control to pitch five innings of one-run ball and the Tampa Bay Rays held off the struggling New York Yankees 6-3 Saturday.

The Rays won their second straight in this series after enduring a 3-8 stretch, improving to 7-8 overall. The reigning AL champions are 4-1 against New York this season and 7-1 at Yankee Stadium since the start of 2020. They have won seven straight series against New York, including last year’s Division Series, and taken 17 of 22 games since September 2019.

“Whatever you’re going through before you get here, you better find a way to wipe it out,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Because you have to stay at the top of your game to compete here.”

The Yankees dropped to an AL-worst 5-9, the latest into a season New York has been at the bottom of the league since a 9-17 start in 1991, per Elias Sports. Fans in the Bronx again booed the Bombers as they lost their fourth straight.

“I felt like we were much more in the fight today, which is at least a good thing,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “But we don’t want moral victories right now.”

CUBS 13, BRAVES 4: Kris Bryant and Willson Contreras each homered twice, and host Chicago routed Atlanta to snap a three-game losing streak. Javier Baez and David Bote also homered for the Cubs, who entered hitting a major league-worst .166 and then took an 11-0 lead in the fifth. Trevor Williams (2-1) allowed one run and four hits in five innings. He had given up five runs and 10 hits against Pittsburgh in his previous start.

NATIONALS 6, DIAMONDBACKS 2: Yan Gomes homered, drove in two runs and became the first major league catcher to throw out Tim Locastro on a steal attempt after 29 consecutive swipes to start his career, helping host Washington beat Arizona. Erick Fedde (1-1) struck out nine in five innings for Washington.

BLUE JAYS 5, ROYALS 1: Steven Matz held Kansas

City without a hit into the sixth inning, and Jonathan Davis and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered to give visiting Toronto the win in the seven-inning opener of their doubleheader. Matz (3-0) only allowed a pair of walks before Nicky Lopez’s blooper to left with one out in the sixth.