Yankees' run-scoring woes continue in loss to Rays

After their lost weekend in Detroit, the Yankees stepped up in weight class on Monday with the start of a four-game series against the AL East-leading Rays. The Red Sox will follow this weekend.

It’s a chance for the Yankees to make a statement. But the statement they made on Monday is that, after getting swept by the lowly Tigers, they are not out of the doldrums.

The Yankees’ offense continued to sputter in a 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay before a season-high 17,008 at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees (29-25) were held to five hits by 41-year-old lefthander Rich Hill (4-2, 3.32 ERA) and four relievers. After a 22-8 run capped by six straight victories, they dropped their fourth in a row and sixth in seven.

The Rays, who are 7-3 against the Yankees and lead their rivals by 5½ games, have won five in a row and 16 of their last 17.

The Yankees’ only run was Miguel Andujar’s opposite-field home run in the seventh. The Yankees were held to two or fewer runs for the sixth time in their last seven games and ninth time in the last 12.

"It would be nice to go out there with a 10-run lead," said losing pitcher Jameson Taillon (1-4, 5.10 ERA), who allowed three runs in five innings-plus. "In the big leagues, these guys are pitching us tough and it is what it is. I can’t control it. So yeah, it’d be nice to pitch with a lead, but at the same time, that’s how it’s going right now and it’s my job to go out there and put up zeros."

Hill threw five shutout innings and was pulled after 56 pitches because that’s the Rays’ Way. For the most part — with one big exception in the final game of last year’s World Series against the Dodgers — it has proved to work for the defending American League champions.

The Yankees hit the ball hard against Hill in the early innings, with five of their first eight batters producing line drives, but they had only three singles to show for it in the first two innings. Aaron Judge hit a long drive to right in the third and yelped in frustration as it was caught at the wall.

"I actually thought, at-bat-wise against Hill, we hit a number of balls on the screws," manager Aaron Boone said. "The at-bat quality was much better than I thought over the weekend. Just didn't have much to show for it, and then they can match you up pretty good [out of the bullpen]."

Gio Urshela, who lined out to left to end the first, said: "I know it’s frustrating when you hit the ball and [it goes] straight to the glove. But we’ve got to continue to keep that same approach and then one day they’re going to [be hits]."

The Rays took a 1-0 lead in the third on Kevin Kiermaier’s leadoff single and Manuel Margot’s RBI double.

Austin Meadows made it 2-0 in the fourth with a 334-foot home run to right. Kiermaier led off the fifth with a double and scored on Randy Arozarena’s two-out single for a 3-0 lead.

Andujar hit his first home run of the season with two outs in the seventh off former Mets righthander Michael Wacha. It was the Yankees' 62nd homer of the season and 44th solo shot.

With the Yankees down to their last out, Rougned Odor doubled off J.P. Feyereisen to bring up Andujar as the tying run. He struck out on a weak hack at a 1-and-2 pitch.

Giancarlo Stanton went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and is 0-for-12 with two walks and eight strikeouts in three games since coming off the injured list on Friday. He’s the most obvious target for fan wrath, but he’s not the only one who is struggling.

If you’re thinking Boone is going to implement a lineup shakeup or general manager Brian Cashman is going to make changes to get the offense going, think again, at least based on Boone’s postgame comments.

"We're just going to keep poring into game plans," he said, "and, where we can, try and make subtle adjustments with individuals and things we're looking for and searching for. We'll keep working at it."

By Anthony Rieber

anthony.rieber@newsday.comAnthonyRieber

Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.