The day after Aaron Boone’s severe conversation with the Yankees, they were left empty-handed again.
The Yankees cleaned up their defensive action and even showed off their late lives offensively, but the end result was the same: they lost a fourth straight game and fell 6-3 against the Rays on Saturday afternoon at the ‘Yankee Stadium.
The game hardly calmed the frustrations that arose on Friday night, when the Yankees made three mistakes and had another quiet game offensively in an 8-2 defeat. Boone headed to his team after that game and, although his players said he conveyed his message, it did not result in immediate dividends as the Yankees fell to 5-9 this season and they have the worst record in the American League.
Tyler Glasnow, in the rays, lacked the command prematurely, but the Yankees could not take advantage, getting only one run before settling into a groove. The Yankees tried to get back into the seventh inning, behind solo Rougned Odor and Aaron Judge’s RBI double that made it 5-3, but Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton ended the threat.
Jordan Montgomery provided the Yankees with a solid start, giving up four runs in more than six innings as he delivered the much-needed break to a recently recorded bullring. He allowed only two hits, but both were local. He was charged for the fourth run in the seventh inning, when Manuel Margot arrived to score Joey Wendle’s unloaded Jonathan Loaisiga.
The Yankees had their chances to launch immediately against Glasnow, which was everywhere with their launches at first, but was unable to take advantage. They loaded the bases with two outings in the first inning, but Brett Gardner came out on the ground to end the threat.
Glasnow walked two more batsmen to head the second inning, and resulted in DJ LeMahieu’s single RBI who tied the game at one. But the judge came out and Hicks came out in the row of two more runners.
Francisco Mejia had given the Rays the lead at the top of the second inning with a solo home play to the short porch of the right field. After the Yankees tied the game, the Rays returned to the long ball to take another lead in the fourth inning, this time a two-run shot from Margot to make it 3-1.
Glasnow finally settled, retiring eight in a row before LeMahieu marched to fifth place. The Rays right-hander ended the day strongly, however, with attacks from the judge and Stanton helping him overcome the entry with the two-run lead intact.
The Yankees lost to Gary Sanchez in the fifth inning after the receiver had received a free-kick from the right hand exposed at the top of the fourth inning. X-rays were negative, however, and the Yankees called Sanchez a day-to-day with a contusion to his right index finger and middle fingers.
The Rays added insurance to the ninth inning when Mejia threw a double RBI at Justin Wilson.