ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ An Achilles' heel from much of last season stepped up and bit the Yankees on Friday night: inconsistency from all relievers not a part of the powerful back end of the bullpen.
Called on to protect a one-run lead in the seventh, Adam Warren, excellent much of the season, was hurt by a misplay by the typically sure-handed Ronald Torreyes and allowed three runs.
Matt Holliday momentarily absolved the pair with a monstrous opposite-field two-run homer that tied the score in the top of the eighth. Then Tyler Clippard walked two batters in the bottom half, setting up a two-out RBI single by longtime Yankees tormentor Evan Longoria _ his fourth hit of the game _ that sent the Rays to a 5-4 victory in front of 21,146 at Tropicana Field.
The AL East-leading Yankees (24-15), managed by bench coach Rob Thomson as Joe Girardi attended his daughter's high school graduation, dropped their second straight on this six-game trip.
Tampa Bay (22-22) opened the seventh with three straight hits _ by Corey Dickerson, Kevin Kiermaier and Longoria _ to load the bases.
Logan Morrison's long sacrifice fly to center tied it at 2 and moved Kiermaier and Longoria up a base. Warren responded by striking out Steven Souza Jr. With lefty Colby Rasmus up, Thomson brought in lefthander Chasen Shreve and Rays manager Kevin Cash countered with the right-handed-hitting Rickie Weeks Jr.
One pitch after he nearly caught Weeks looking but didn't get the call, Shreve appeared to get out of it when Weeks chopped a full-count splitter to third. Torreyes, however, got caught between hops, and the second one skipped under his glove for what was scored a two-run double that put the Rays ahead, 4-2.
Rays left-hander Jose Alvarado started the eighth by walking Brett Gardner. Jacoby Ellsbury popped to short and Cash called on right-hander Ryan Stanek to face Holliday. He hammered a 100-mph fastball, which came in high, to right for his eighth homer of the season to tie it at 4-4.
The Yankees experienced a scary moment in the bottom of the eighth. Daniel Robertson hit a foul pop near the Rays' bullpen in right field, and as Starlin Castro drifted under the ball, a sliding Aaron Judge undercut him shoulder-first, dislodging the ball. Both players appeared briefly shaken up but both were seen smiling, and Castro displayed a nasty-looking scrape on his forearm.
Clippard walked Derek Norris with one out and Kiermaier with two, bringing up Longoria, who smoked a hard single to left to give the Rays a 5-4 lead. Alex Colome pitched a perfect ninth for his 11th save.
Neither starter factored in the decision.
Luis Severino, coming off his worst start of the season last Sunday against the Astros, when he allowed three runs and six hits in 21/3 innings, walked a tightrope for five innings but sustained little damage.
Severino allowed one run, five hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out seven and held the Rays to 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position and stranding seven runners.
Tampa Bay righthander Erasmo Ramirez allowed two runs and six hits in 51/3 innings.
The game featured the American League's league-leading teams in home runs, as the Yankees and Rays entered the night tied with 59. Holliday hit the game's only homer.
