Life is a SkyRay: Rays 7, Yankees 2

Randy Arozarena and Yandy Diaz combine for two home runs and six RBIs to beat the Yankees

They say the man makes the clothes, the clothes don’t make the man. It’s hard to deny the Tampa Bay Rays continue to look incredible, literally and figuratively, in their new City Connect threads. They wore them once again on their scheduled home Saturday as they beat the New York Yankees 7-2.

Zack Littell took the mound to start for the Rays. In the top of the first inning, he showcased his skill by striking out Anthony Volpe and keeping the Yankees off the scoreboard conceding despite a hit-by-pitch to Aaron Judge.

The Rays' offensive power kicked into gear immediately in the bottom half of the inning. Yandy Díaz led off with a solo home run to left center field on Nestor Cortes’ first pitch, giving the Rays an early 1-0 lead and setting the tone for the game.

In the top of the second, the Yankees responded. Volpe delivered a pivotal two-run single after a double by Austin Wells and walks by Anthony Rizzo and Trent Grisham loaded the bases. Volpe’s hit to left field scored Rizzo and Wells, shifting the lead to the Yankees, 2-1.

However, the Rays regained control in the bottom of the third inning. Yandy Díaz, clearly not satisfied with his earlier home run alone, doubled on a line drive to left field, advancing José Siri to third. Randy Arozarena then stepped up, hitting an opposite field three-run homer to right center field. This blast not only scored Siri and Díaz but also gave the Rays’ a 4-2. Arozarena and Díaz have not looked like themselves so far this season so it was great to see the two of them contributing so mightily with their bats.

Zack Littell had a solid performance on the mound today and was aided by some poor baserunning by the Yankees. His 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, and 3 K included holding the Yankees 2-4 hitters (Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, and Alex Verdugo) hitless against him. They would also finish 0-for-11 on the day.

Nestor Cortes’ road struggles continued against the Rays. So far, he has a 6.75 ERA on the road, and he really struggled with his fastball command against the Rays. He finished his day in the sixth inning with 5.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, and 2 HR on 89 pitches.

In the seventh inning, the Rays further extended their lead. With one out, Ben Rortvedt walked and advanced to second on a groundout by Siri. Díaz then hit another double to center field, driving in Rortvedt. A few moments later, Arozarena hit his second RBI double of the game, bringing Díaz home and pushing the score to 6-2. The back-to-back doubles were significant nails in the coffin for the Yankees’ hopes of a comeback. The scoring continued in the seventh after Amed Rosario singled and advanced Arozarena to third, Isaac Paredes hit a sacrifice fly to right field, allowing Arozarena to score and increase the lead to 7-2.

Pete Fairbanks took the mound for the Rays in the ninth inning after missing 19 games on the IL due to a nerve-related hand issue. A comfortable five-run lead was a great situation to come back into, and he did not disappoint, retiring the Yankees in order to finalize the win.

These two teams face off in the rubber match at 1:40PM ET tomorrow.