NEW YORK _ The losses all hurt at this time of year and, to be fair, it is difficult to be critical of a team that takes three of four in a series.
Still, the Yankees' 4-2 loss Sunday afternoon at the Stadium to the last-place Rays, which ended a seven-game winning streak, nonetheless brought the feel of a tremendous fail.
And certainly an opportunity lost, especially with a schedule that bumps up dramatically in difficulty Monday night when the NL West-leading Dodgers come to town.
The Yankees (76-66) came into the game trailing the AL East-leading Red Sox by three games and were, along with the Tigers, one game behind the Orioles for the second wild card.
Their bats went surprisingly silent against Rays right-hander Matt Andriese, who came in 6-7 with a 4.58 ERA and having allowed seven earned runs in each of his last two starts. On Sunday he allowed one run and six hits over five innings.
Luis Cessa, who came in 4-0 with a 4.07 ERA, allowed four runs and five hits, including three homers, in his fifth big-league start.
Tampa manager Kevin Cash, likely not wanting to tempt fate by letting Andriese go much longer, called on former Yankees righty Chase Whitley to start the sixth.
Whitley, who underwent Tommy John surgery on May 19, 2015 and last appeared in a big-league game on May 14, 2015, as a Yankee (against the Rays at Tropicana Field), retired the Yankees in order on 10 pitches.
After Whitley allowed an unearned run in the seventh that made it 4-2, Brad Boxberger came on and pitched a perfect eighth. Alex Colome struck out two of three in the ninth for his 32nd save.
The Rays (60-82) grabbed the lead in the second. Nick Franklin singled with two outs and Corey Dickerson followed by swinging at a neck-high fastball, which came in at 94 mph, and lining into the seats in right for his 19th homer and a 2-0 lead.
The Yankees stranded a runner in scoring position in the third. Brett Gardner doubled to left _ Nick Franklin, the left fielder, broke poorly on the ball _ but Jacoby Ellsbury flied to left and Gary Sanchez, who singled in the first, struck out.
Chase Headley sliced the Yankees' deficit in half in the fifth, driving a 0-and-2 fastball to right for his 12th homer that made it 2-1.
Logan Forsythe and Brad Miller added homers in the sixth off Cessa to make it 4-1. Joe Girardi had lefty Tommy Layne up but chose not to go to him to face the lefty-hitting Miller, who ended up with his 27th homer.
The Rays, helped the Yankees get closer in the seventh. Whitley walked Headley with one out and, after Aaron Judge popped out, pinch hitter Starlin Castro sent a grounder to third that was booted by Evan Longoria for an error. Gardner followed with an RBI single to right, making it 4-2 and putting runners at the corners. Gardner stole second but Ellsbury flied softly to left for the third out.
