George Lombard Jr. gave the Yankees exactly the kind of jolt they needed Thursday night: a dazzling run at the plate, a fearless finish at the plate, and then the swing that turned the game.
The rookie sparked New York’s rally with an RBI double in the seventh, then delivered the decisive blow with a two-run homer in the eighth as the Yankees stormed back from a 4-0 hole to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4. Cam Schlitter, meanwhile, wrapped up his season with an AL-best 1.95 ERA after his final start before next week’s AL Wild Card Series.
Lombard, who made his debut on Aug. 4, finished with three RBIs for New York, which improved to 92-67. His night had a little of everything. Austin Wells opened the comeback with a sixth-inning homer off Jake Woodford, then Lombard trimmed the deficit to 4-2 during a three-run seventh.
That inning turned wild in a hurry. Lombard moved to third on Brady Hopkins’ wild pitch and scored when another pitch skipped to the backstop. As the ball ricocheted back toward Liam Hicks, Lombard popped up in front of the plate on a feet-first slide, leaped over the catcher while twisting in fair territory, and slapped his right hand on the plate.
Paul Goldschmidt followed with a single to tie it 4-4.
Lombard wasn’t done. In the eighth, he launched his seventh homer of the season - and fourth in seven games - driving a sinker from Steven Matz (5-6) into the left-field second deck. He paused briefly to watch it carry before beginning his trot.
Schlitter, making his last start of the regular season, gave up two runs, one earned, in three innings. The 25-year-old right-hander went 14-6 and piled up 239 strikeouts over 193 2/3 innings in his first full major league season. According to the team, his 1.95 ERA finished as the Yankees’ third-lowest mark for a qualified pitcher, behind Spud Chandler’s 1.64 in 1943 and Ron Guidry’s 1.74 in 1978.
Tampa Bay, which clinched the AL East on Tuesday, jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Junior Caminero drove in two runs to push his RBI total to 99, and the Rays also picked up a pair of unearned runs after errors by right fielder Heliot Ramos and reliever Luis Gil.
Bradley Hanner (1-0) got the final outs New York needed, retiring Caminero with a runner aboard to end the eighth and stranding another runner in the ninth for his first big league win.
The Rays open a three-game series in Philadelphia on Friday night, with RHP Freddy Peralta (9-11, 4.56, ERA) set to face LHP Cristopher Sánchez (18-6, 2.92).
The Yankees begin a single-admission doubleheader Friday against Baltimore, with rookie RHP Brendan Beck (0-1, 8.22) opposing LHP Trevor Rogers (10-11, 4.07) in Game 1. New York did not announce a starter for the second game against RHP Brandon Young (9-5, 3.62).
In Other News...
Rays Rookies Have Forced Their Way Into A Real October Debate
Ty Johnson and Brody Hopkins have turned a late-season promotion into something more meaningful for the Rays, making immediate impressions with the kind of pitching that can change how a playoff staff is built. Both rookies were recently brought up to the majors and quickly showed enough for pitching coach Kyle Snyder to highlight Hopkins exceptional pitches and Johnsons effective delivery, a notable endorsement at a time when Tampa Bay is looking closely at every arm it can trust.
Kevin Cash said roster decisions remain preliminary, and there are still spots open as the club weighs the readiness of other pitchers working back from injury. Even so, the way Johnson and Hopkins have pitched has pushed them into the conversation for the American League Division Series, which is exactly the sort of October problem the Rays were hoping to have, even if the final call is still hanging in the balance. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Blow Four-Run Lead In A Frustrating Reminder Before October
Ian Seymour gave the Rays exactly what they wanted in a tune-up setting, carving through five scoreless innings while Tampa Bay spent the afternoon looking like a club with one eye already on October. With the AL East and top playoff seed secured, the Rays leaned on the game to rest key pitchers and sort through their playoff preparation, but the early cushion they built still made the eventual outcome sting a little more than a September exhibition ought to.
The trouble started once the bullpen took over, and a four-run lead entering the sixth inning unraveled into a 6-4 loss. The decisive blow came on a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth, turning a comfortable afternoon into the kind of reminder teams try to avoid right before the postseason, when every late-inning pitch gets a little more magnified. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Are Betting On One Bullpen Arm For October
Manuel Rodriguez is back on the Rays active roster after recovering from a low back strain, giving Tampa Bay another late-season bullpen option as the postseason arrives. To clear space, the club designated right-hander Jake Woodford for assignment, a move that underscores how tightly every roster spot is being managed with October in view.
Rodriguez is expected to be part of the bullpen mix in the playoffs, a boost the Rays will take with some other arms still unavailable for the ALDS. With Shane McClanahan among the injured pitchers, Tampa Bay is leaning on health and matchup value as it tries to line up the right relief help for the games that matter most. [Read more 🡒]