ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Drew Rasmussen allowed one hit in six scoreless innings, and the Tampa Bay Rays completed their first three-game sweep of the Yankees since 2021, holding on to beat New York 5-4 on Sunday.
Returning after missing time for the birth of his daughter, Rasmussen (1-0) struck out seven without a walk. The Rays moved above .500 for the first time this season at 8-7 and extended the Yankees’ losing streak to five games.
Aaron Judge hit his fourth homer of the season, with no outs in the ninth against Mason Englert that got New York within one. Englert retired the next two batters, then allowed a double to Amed Rosario. After an intentional walk to Austin Wells, Englert retired Ryan McMahon on a grounder for his first save as the Yankees fell to 0-6 in one-run games this season.
New York’s Cam Schlittler (2-1) allowed three runs on a career-high-tying seven hits over five innings. Schlittler walked his first batter in four starts this season when Yandy Díaz got a free pass in the third.
Tampa Bay’s Chandler Simpson went 3 for 4, scored twice, stole his seventh base and has reached base in all 15 games this season.
The Rays did their damage early. Simpson and Junior Caminero hit back-to-back singles in the first, and Simpson scored on Díaz’s groundout. In the second, Cedric Mullins tripled and scored on Richie Palacios’ single. Palacios came around on Simpson’s base hit to make it 3-0.
Before a crowd of 20,796 at Tropicana Field, the Yankees rallied against the Rays bullpen.
Ben Rice led off the seventh with a ground-rule double and scored on Cody Bellinger’s single. Giancarlo Stanton’s pinch-hit grounder scored Judge to make it 4-2.
Up next
Will Warren (1-0, 3.07) and the Yankees host Yusei Kikuchi (0-2, 6.75) and the Angels on Monday. Shane McClanahan (0-1, 4.15) takes the mound for Tampa Bay on Tuesday at Chicago against Noah Schultz and the White Sox.
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