ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ It took less than an inning for the era of good feelings established during six weeks of spring training to be mostly forgotten by Yankees fans.
Masahiro Tanaka, considered the one sure thing in a rotation packed with question marks, was tagged for three first-inning runs Sunday afternoon en route to the second-shortest outing of his career with the Yankees.
The 28-year-old right-hander lasted just 2 2/3 innings, putting the Yankees in an insurmountable hole against Chris Archer and the Rays and leading to a 7-3 season-opening loss in front of a sellout crowd of 31,042 at Tropicana Field.
The Yankees, who posted a MLB-best 24-9-1 exhibition record, are off Monday before resuming their three-game set Tuesday night, sending CC Sabathia to the mound against Rays righty Jake Odorizzi. They've lost their last six on Opening Day.
Tanaka, coming off a spring in which he allowed one earned run over six starts (23 2/3 innings), allowed seven runs Sunday, tying a career-worst, eight hits and two walks. He struck out three.
It was Tanaka's shortest outing since Sept. 27, 2014, when he lasted 1 2/3 innings against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Archer, 9-19 with a 4.02 ERA last season, including 0-3 with a 3.86 ERA against the Yankees, allowed two runs, seven hits and a walk. Archer, who threw 108 pitches, struck out five in controlling a lineup that hit all spring.
The Rays jumped on Tanaka in a three-run, 23-pitch first in which the pitcher had limited command.
Leadoff man Corey Dickerson singled and Kevin Kiermaier followed with a line-drive double to left-center, putting two on for Evan Longoria. The third baseman, always a thorn in the Yankees' side, lifted a sacrifice fly to right that made it 1-0.
Brad Miller hit a ground smash that Greg Bird stopped but bobbled. The play was scored an infield single to give Tampa Bay runners at the corners. Steven Souza Jr. walked on four pitches to load the bases and Logan Morrison, after falling behind 0-and-1, sent a fastball back up the middle for a two-run single that made it 3-0.
The Yankees came right back in the second. Starlin Castro (three hits) reached on an infield single and Chase Headley (three hits) beat the shift with a grounder to left. Aaron Judge, who won the right field job in the final days of camp, then lined a first-pitch hanging slider to left for an RBI double that made it 3-1. Ronald Torreyes' groundout to second brought in Headley to make it 3-2.
But that turned out to be the start of Archer settling in. After Judge's double, the pitcher retired 13 of the next 14 batters.
Gary Sanchez (0-for-5), Bird and Judge combined to go 1-for-13.
Tanaka retired the first two batters of the second before walking Kiermaier. Next came a flat 1-and-0 cutter that Longoria sent over the short wall in left for a two-run homer to make it 5-2. The blast gave Longoria 33 career homers against the Yankees, tying him with the Blue Jays' Jose Bautista for most among active players.
Archer retired Sanchez, Bird and Matt Holliday on 10 pitches in the top of the third, and the Rays went back to work in the bottom half.
Morrison teed off on a 3-and-1 splitter, drilling it to center, and Tim Beckham yanked a double past a diving Headley at third. Mallex Smith laid down a bunt and Sanchez rushed his throw, firing it wide of the bag for an error, allowing Beckham to come around to make it 7-2.
The Yankees put two on in the seventh when Castro singled and Headley beat the shift (again) with a bunt. Archer struck out Judge and got pinch hitter Aaron Hicks to fly to right. Gardner singled, bringing up Sanchez with the bases loaded. Archer got ahead 1-and-2 before retiring the catcher on a 2-and-2 slider, the righty's 108th and last pitch of the afternoon.
The Yankees loaded the bases with none out in the ninth against rookie Austin Pruitt, necessitating closer Alex Colome's presence. Pinch hitter Chris Carter brought in Headley with a sacrifice fly to make it 7-3, but Colome struck out Sanchez and got Bird to fly to center to end it.
