Tampa, FL – Trent Grisham led off the game with a homerun, Cody Bellinger and Austin Wells also homered to back a masterful Max Fried as the Yankees defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-0.
The Rays were shut out for the third time in five days. It marks the first time that they’ve been shut out three times in a five game span since August 8 through 12, 2017. In the last two series the Rays have had games where they scored 16 runs and 10 runs. The lack of consistency can be described as both puzzling and frustrating. “Everybody is racking their brains on the days that we’re not hitting. Is there something that we can be doing better?” Lamented Kevin Cash. “We’ve not hit with soft contact and swing and miss. We’ve not hit with hitting some balls hard with not much to show for it. I’d like to think we are better than a team that doesn’t consistently find ways to manufacture runs.”
Rays outfielder Jake Mangum discussed the inconsistency and warned against looking at the whole season’s body of work. “You take it one day at a time. This game will eat you up if you don’t.” Mangum suggest the team focus on the first game in Arizona. “We’re going to have an off-day tomorrow and travel out West. We’re going to try and put together a good game, game one of the road trip.”
Max Fried thought he had carried a no-hitter into the bottom of the eighth inning; however, before the inning opened the official scorer reversed his earlier error call on a Chandler Simpson groundball. Jake Mangum ended any controversy over the official scorers decision by leading off the bottom of the eighth with a single.
Max Fried (4-0, 1.42 ERA) picks up the win for the Yankees who improve to 14-8. Fried had the Rays off-balance all afternoon working 7.2 scoreless innings allowing two hits while striking out two, walking two, and hitting a batter. Fernando Cruz worked the last 1.1-innigs to pick up his second save on the season.
Ryan Pepiot (1-3, 4.82 ERA) takes the loss for the Ray who fall to 9-13. Pepiot worked 6 innings and allowed three earned runs on six hits while striking out seven and walking one. By allowing two homers on the afternoon, Pepiot has now given up 8 homers on the season. He allowed just 17 in 130 innings last season. Pepiot believes the issue this season with the long ball is tendency to throw his four seam fastball when behind in the count. “If I’m behind in the count, I throw a lot of fastballs.” he said. “If I’m behind in the count I don’t get it [four seam fastball to the top of the zone it’s not going to be effective.”
The Rays hoped to carry momentum from Saturday’s thrilling come from behind walk-off victory into Sunday but those hope were dashed as Trent Grisham hit a leadoff homer to put the Rays behind 1-0.
New York added to the lead in the top of the third inning. Oswaldo Cabrera led the inning off with a double and moved to third with one out when Aaron Judge sent the ball, and his bat, between Jose Caballero and Junior Caminero. Bellinger hit a groundball to short, not hard enough to turn the double play and Cabrera scored the Yankees second run.
Cody Bellinger led off the 6th inning with a solo homer to extend the New York lead to 3-0. Aaron Judge hit what looked to be a solo homer in the top of the eighth but it was ruled foul. After Judge struckout looking to end the plate appearance Yankees Manager Aaron Boone was ejected.
Tampa Bay brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the eighth but Fernando Cruz retired Junior Caminero on a pop-out to short to end the threat.
Austin Wells hit the Yankees third home on the afternoon in the top of the ninth off Rays reliever Garrett Cleavinger to push the lead to 4-0.
Up Next For Rays:
The Rays will be off of Monday as they travel to the West Coast to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks beginning Tuesday night at 9:40 p.m. EST. Zack Littell (0-4, 5.48 ERA) will take the mound for Tampa Bay while Brandon Pfaadt (3-1, 3.01 ERA) takes the mound for Arizona.
