The staggering Yankees were shut out in consecutive
games for the first time since 2016, losing to Ryan Yarbrough and the Tampa Bay Rays 4-0 on Monday night in front of a vexed crowd at Yankee stadium.
Coming off a 3-0 defeat Sunday night against the Boston Red Sox, New York failed to provide any run support for ace Gerrit Cole, whose only run allowed followed a misplay in center field by the barbaric Aaron Hicks.
The AL East leaders were blanked for the fourth time in nine games and dropped to 8-16 since the All-Star break, have lost 21 of 32, and 10 of their last 13. Remember when they were 52-18? Good times.
Ryan pitched four innings as a bulk reliever for his first victory in nearly a year, striking out six without a walk. He had lost eight straight decisions over 14 appearances, matching the franchise record, yet here the Yankees were throwing him a life-preserver.
Hicks got turned around on the warning track and couldn’t field David Peralta’s flyball in the fourth inning, resulting in a triple. Isaac Paredes then singled off Cole (9-5, 3.31 ERA) for a 1-0 lead, enough to get the Rays on their way to a third straight victory. Cole allowed one run and five hits in six innings. He struck out six, walked two and allowed one run or less for the 11th time this season. With one out and one on in the third inning, when Rizzo was hit in the leg by a Ryan Yarbrough curveball but was not awarded first base. Home-plate umpire D.J. Reyburn ruled that Rizzo did not make an attempt to get out of the way. After Rizzo and Boone argued to no avail, Rizzo struck out chasing a pitch outside, then repeatedly slammed his helmet on the bat rack, perhaps echoing how all Yankees fans feel about the team at the moment.
Tampa Bay added three runs in the ninth on Jose Siri’s RBI single and Yandy Díaz’s two-run single.
Hicks batted with the bases loaded in the fourth but hit a soft comebacker to Yarbrough, who started a 1-2-3 double play
After Yarbrough’s 58-pitch outing, Ryan Thompson got the next five outs, getting Aaron Judge on a double play in the eighth. Brooks Raley fanned Anthony Rizzo before the Rays added on, and Jason Adam completed the shutout in the ninth. With the win, the Rays (61-53) climbed into a tie with the Blue Jays for second place in the AL East, 10 games behind the Yankees. Since leading the division by a season-high 15 ½ games on July 8, the Yankees are 11-21.
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