The Yankees are scraping for healthy bodies, but they finally found a little life Monday night in St. Petersburg.
New York beat the Rays 5-1 in the series opener, and now it gets a chance to string together back-to-back wins for the first time in two weeks when the teams meet again Tuesday night. That’s the immediate goal for a club that has won just twice in its last 11 games and is still dealing with a crowded injury list.
Aaron Boone’s rotation is missing three starters: left-handers Carlos Rodon and Max Fried, plus right-hander Luis Gil. Fried appears closest to coming back after throwing a 36-pitch live batting practice session Sunday.
Boone also said Monday that Giancarlo Stanton, who has a strained right calf, still has not resumed running on the field after a setback in June, and there is no timetable for his return. Aaron Judge, the reigning American League MVP, is expected to miss a few more weeks with a stress fracture of a rib and has not played since May 31.
Even with all that, the Yankees got a clean, efficient night from their lineup and pitching staff on Monday. Jose Caballero powered the offense with two homers and four RBIs, Ben Rice added a solo shot, and all three New York hits left the yard. Cam Schlittler handled the rest, throwing eight innings of one-run, four-hit ball to improve to 9-5 and lower his ERA to 2.01.
It was also the first win by a visiting AL East team in St. Petersburg this season.
"It just felt good to play well," Boone said. "It's still a grind for us offensively, but some long balls were huge."
Will Warren gets the ball Tuesday for New York, looking to snap a five-start winless stretch. The right-hander is 7-3 with a 3.73 ERA and is still searching for his first win since the Yankees beat the Athletics 13-8 on May 31. Against Tampa Bay, Warren has made three career starts, all last year, and is 0-1 with a 3.65 ERA.
The Rays enter the rematch with a three-game losing streak, though their pitching staff still made noise Monday by striking out 17 Yankees. Griffin Jax tied his career high with 10 strikeouts, and he retired the first 13 batters he faced before New York broke through.
Jax walked two hitters, both just before Caballero’s first homer opened up a 3-0 Yankees lead. That was the only hit he allowed in five innings, and Tampa Bay’s staff otherwise kept New York in check.
The Rays managed just four hits in the game, but Chandler Simpson did extend his hitting streak to nine games with an infield single in the fifth.
Kevin Cash praised Schlittler after the game, saying, "(Schlittler) looked very confident," Cash said. "He attacks you with it, and not many pitchers can live on that fastball like he does, but he certainly can."
He also had strong words for Jax’s outing.
"I thought Jax threw the ball incredibly well," Cash added. "Got to be really pleased with the way his arsenal attacked that Yankees lineup. ... They hit a lot of homers.
"Pleased with the way we pitched. We've just got to find a way to keep them in the ballpark."
Tampa Bay will turn to Ian Seymour on Tuesday. The 27-year-old left-hander is 5-1 with a 4.02 ERA and is coming off a strong start in a 5-2 road win over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. Seymour has moved from the bullpen into the rotation and is set for his fifth start.
He has won his last two outings, allowing one run on three hits and two walks over 12 2/3 innings while striking out 15, both against Kansas City. Against the Yankees, Seymour is 1-0 with a 7.56 ERA in five career relief appearances. He has faced New York three times this season, earning a win and allowing one run over 4 1/3 innings.
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