ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Rays opened an important homestand in a frustrating way Tuesday, losing 4-3 to the Yankees.
Rays starter Shane McClanahan worked in and out of trouble for the first five innings, but the Yankees cashed in with a run in the fifth and two in the sixth.
After the Rays closed the gap to 3-2 on a Brandon Lowe homer in their sixth, the Yankees added on with a two-out homer homer in the eighth by Ryan LaMarre, who was in spring training with Tampa Bay in 2020, off reliever Jeffrey Springs.
The Rays drew within one again in their eighth, as Yandy Diaz drew a leadoff walk from lefty reliever Zack Britton, went to second on a wild pitch and scored when Randy Arozarena lashed a ball to right that hopped the short wall for a ground-rule double.
The loss dropped the Rays to 60-41 and two games behind the American League East-leading Red Sox, who were rained out Tuesday and come to the Trop for a weekend series. The third-place Yankees improved to 52-47.
The Yankees had scoring opportunities against McClanahan in three of the first four innings, but didn’t convert until the fifth before a spirited Tropicana Field crowd of 12,678.
McClanahan got himself out of trouble with a bases-loaded double play in the first and two strikeouts in the second. Centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier helped him in the fourth when he made a nifty play and strong throw to limit Gleyber Torres to a single on a 406-foot, 108.2-mph drive that hit the wall on a fly, and after a walk McClanahan got two ground ball outs.
The Yankees went ahead in the fifth when Greg Allen doubled and scored on a single by DJ LeMahieu.
They made it 3-0 with three straight hits off McClanahan, Torres and Rougned Odor singled, and Gio Urshela laced a two-run double.
McClanahan worked a rugged six innings, allowing 12 of the 28 batters he faced to reach on nine hits and three walks, but only the three to score. He threw 89 pitches, 60 for strikes.
The Rays had runners on base in each of the five innings worked by Yankees lefty stater Jordan Montgomery, but failed to get any home as he threw 102 pitches. They got on the board in the sixth against reliever Chad Green. Ji-Man Choi drew a one-out walk, and with two outs Brandon Lowe homered, his 22nd of the season though first since July 11.
