TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Paul Goldschmidt had three of New York’s five hits and scored on Trent Grisham’s RBI single,Carlos Rodón limited Tampa Bay to two hits in six innings and the Yankees beat the Rays 1-0 on Friday night at Steinbrenner Field for their fifth straight victory.
Grisham’s broken-bat looper in the second scored Goldschmidt from second base with two outs. Goldschmidt also made three important defensive plays at first base.
Rodón (2-0) snapped a personal three-game losing streak and had a season-best nine strikeouts. Three Yankees relievers combined to preserve the shutout, with Luke Weaver retiring the side in the ninth for his second save. It was New York’s first 1-0 victory since June 24, 2003, against Texas.
A pair of baserunning miscues kept the Rays scoreless. Leading off the seventh in a 1-0 game, Jonathan Aranda blasted a pitch off the wall in center, but was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple.
Earlier, Jose Caballero doubled to lead off the fifth but, after advancing to third on a groundout, was caught in a rundown against a drawn-in infield. He made up for it when he robbed Ben Rice of a two-run homer in the eighth, leaping over the right-field wall.
Tampa Bay pitchers retired 13 in a row before Oswaldo Cabrera’s single to lead off the seventh.
Key moment
No one appeared injured in the fifth inning when half of Yankees star Aaron Judge’s bat sailed into the crowd behind the third-base dugout, a soft lineout on a 97-mph sinker from Drew Rasmussen.
Key stat
Goldschmidt leads the majors with 10 multi-hit games.
Up next
Carlos Carrasco (2-1, 5.94) is set to start for New York on Saturday against Shane Baz (2-0, 1.42 ERA).
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