The Yankees lost their second straight series to a division rival on Sunday afternoon, falling to the Tampa Bay Rays, 7-5, at Yankee Stadium.
Here are the takeaways…
— A pregame rain shower in the Bronx delayed first pitch by 30 minutes, and it’s safe to assume that the wait time was a detriment to Yankees starter Will Warren. The rookie right-hander immediately struggled with command, working in and out of a first-inning jam that included a single and walk allowed. Warren’s pitch count then climbed in the second, due to a fielding error from shortstop Oswald Peraza with two runners on and one out that loaded the bases. Tampa wound up drawing first blood on a fielder’s choice groundout two pitches later.
— Warren showed susceptibility to the homer during spring training, and he gave up his fourth long ball of the season in the third when Jonathan Aranda crushed a middle-zone fastball that landed in the Yankees’ bullpen for a solo shot. His fourth inning was far more frustrating, however, as he yielded three singles and a walk for three more runs, pushing the Rays’ lead to 5-0. A catcher’s interference call on J.C. Escarra also contributed to Tampa’s small-ball rally.
— The good news for Warren was that he struck out a career-high eight while working through command issues. The bad news was, well, those command issues. Of the seven hits he allowed, three of them came ahead in the count with two strikes. The Yankees made Warren endure the growing pains, and ultimately took him out with two outs in the fifth and his pitch count up to a season-high 102. It was the second-shortest outing thus far for Warren, whose ERA now sits at 5.65 through eight starts (32.1 innings).
— Rays starter Taj Bradley kept the Yankees at bay through the first five innings. He ran into trouble in the third, allowing a pair of singles that brought Aaron Judge to the plate as the go-ahead run with no outs, but managed to neutralize the threat by forcing the superstar slugger into a 6-4-3 double play. Bradley looked poised to complete six shutout innings on cruise control, but the Yankees finally inflicted damage with a leadoff single from Trent Grisham and a two-run homer from Cody Bellinger, cutting the deficit to 5-2. It was career homer No. 200 for Bellinger.
— In relief of Warren, veteran lefty Tyler Matzek made his third appearance of the season, allowing four hits and recording four outs across nine batters faced. To start the seventh, the Yankees turned to veteran Carlos Carrasco, who was slated to start on Tuesday before the team pushed Clarke Schmidt into thespot. The veteran right-hander wasn’t too effective as a bulk reliever — he surrendered two runs on five hits with three strikeouts across three frames.
— Judge entered the eighth inning 0-for-3, but a stand-up, leadoff double to right-center in his fourth at-bat extended his hit streak to 14 games and on-base streak to 30 games. The captain’s knock sparked a rally, as Bellinger proceeded to walk and Paul Goldschmidt drove in Judge with a single to left. Jasson Dominguez then ripped a liner to right, loading the bases, but a double-play grounder off Escarra’s bat cut down momentum. The Yankees managed to score two more before the inning ended, as Jorbit Vivas produced a two-run single for his first MLB hit.
— The Rays tasked Pete Faibanks with facing the top of the Yankees’ order in the ninth, and he wasn’t the least bit fazed by the assignment. He recorded the save by striking out Grisham, Judge, and Bellinger on 15 pitches. Tampa’s margin of victory should’ve been far greater — they logged twice as many hits as New York (16 to 8) and left a whopping 16 runners on base.
Game MVP: Jonathan Aranda
While the Yankees allowed four Rays to collect three-plus hits — Taylor Walls actually led the team with four in the No. 9 hole — it was Aranda who drove in the most runs. His strong afternoon at the plate began with a solo homer off of Warren in the third, and his two-run single off of Carrasco in the seventh bumped Tampa’s lead to 7-2. The five-run cushion was just enough.
Highlights
Cody Bellinger’s 200th home run gets the Yankees on the board! pic.twitter.com/qA8fiB3T8W
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 4, 2025
Paul Goldschmidt cuts the deficit to 4 with an RBI single! pic.twitter.com/8rYj4xdqh3
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 4, 2025
JORBIT VIVAS’ FIRST BIG LEAGUE HIT BRINGS HOME TWO!
(via @Yankees) pic.twitter.com/cmMonUjmD4
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 4, 2025
What’s next
The Yankees (19-15) will begin the second half of their six-game homestand on Monday night, with the first of three against the San Diego Padres. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
A pitchers’ duel could unfold — Carlos Rodón (4-3, 3.43 ERA) is slated to take the mound, opposite veteran righty Nick Pivetta (5-1, 1.78 ERA).
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