NEW YORK _ As unlikely as it seems, Travis d'Arnaud has become an absolute Yankee killer.
One strike away from watching the Rays fall seven games behind the first-place Yankees, d'Arnaud's third homer of the game _ a three-run shot in the ninth _ lifted the Rays to a stunning and important 5-4 win at Yankee Stadium.
In a sensational at-bat against All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman, d'Arnaud _ the ex-Mets catcher and current leadoff hitter for Tampa Bay _ homered to right field for the third time on Monday.
One inning earlier, Edwin Encarnacion's second home run of the night left no doubt.
At home plate, the Yankees' slugger stood for a moment to admire the flight of the ball _ a full-count pitch off Andrew Kittredge that was crushed well beyond the left-center field wall.
That tie-breaking two-out, two-run shot in the eighth gave the Yankees a 4-2 lead and put the second-place Rays in a perilous spot to begin this four-game set.
The second-place Rays are now five games behind the AL East-leading Yankees.
And after this series, the two teams play just one more regular-season series _ late in September, a two-game set at Tampa Bay.
So, the time is now for the Rays to make a stand and they already had the Yankees' attention.
"They're real ... they're always a grind," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before the game of a club that took the final two games of their recent four-game set at Tampa Bay.
"They're really good at the run prevention part (of the game) and you've kind of got to be at your best as a group to have a chance offensively," said Boone, whose club only scored via the home run on Monday night.
Gio Urshela's towering, two-out solo shot made it a 2-2 game in the seventh off just-inserted reliever Emilio Pagan.
Encarnacion delivered the only run off Rays' lefty starter Blake Snell, a fourth-inning, two-out solo shot.
Entering the game, Encarnacion was batting just .139 in 18 games since being acquired via trade from Seattle, though four of his 10 hits were home runs.
He now has six homers with the Yanks and 27 on the season.
The right-handed hitting d'Arnaud homered twice off lefty starter James Paxton.
The two solo shots by d'Arnaud _ coming in his first two at-bats _ gave Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead.
Paxton exited after six innings and Snell departed after five. Chad Green delivered two scoreless relief innings and was in line for the win before Chapman's blown save.
D'Arnaud was on base all five times on Monday, including a pair of walks.
