Rays hold off struggling Yankees 6-3
New York — Sluggish to start their AL title defense, the Tampa Bay Rays have found their bearings in the Bronx.
"This venue can motivate you really quick," manager Kevin Cash said.
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 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.
The Yankees dropped to an ALworst 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, but the crowd was more restrained a day after some hurled baseballs and other items on the field late in an 8-2 loss to the Rays.
"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."
Francisco Mejía hit a solo shot in the second off Jordan Montgomery (1-1), and Margot made it 3-1 with his homer off the left-hander in the fourth. Joey Wendle added a two-run shot against Jonathan Loaisiga in the seventh, and Mejía had an RBI double in the ninth.
Rougned Odor hit his first homer with the Yankees, a solo shot in the seventh off Jeffrey Springs, and Aaron Judge added an RBI single as New York tried to rally against the bullpen. Sidewinding right-hander Ryan Thompson got the ball to Diego Castillo in the ninth, though, and Castillo closed out his fourth save.
New York catcher Gary Sánchez was hit in his right throwing hand by a foul ball in the fourth and exited an inning later. The club said X-rays were negative and that Sánchez is day to day with a contusion on his right index and middle fingers.
Glasnow (2-0) entered with 29 strikeouts and three walks over 19 2/3 innings this season, but his feel was off from the start. He walked four but also struck out seven and limited New York to two hits.
The 6-foot-8 right-hander labored early but stranded the bases loaded in the first. He finally seemed to have found his form when play was stopped in the fifth as he got a painful cramp in his left hand, along with tightness in his right calf and quad. Teammates brought him water and hydration gels, which he guzzled behind the mound while stretching his left thumb.