Yankees manage only two hits in loss to Rays

 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Friday night provided a glimpse of what could have been, what the Yankees felt should have been in 2023.

Gerrit Cole, backed by contributions from multiple spots in the lineup, led the Yankees to a series-opening victory over the Rays.

But Saturday afternoon brought a quick reversion to what the Yankees ultimately are this season: a last-place team whose official elimination from playoff contention grows closer by the day.

Held hitless by Tyler Glasnow for 5 1/3 innings, the Yankees wound up with two hits in a 3-0 loss to the Rays in front of 22,943 at Tropicana Field, their 11th defeat in the last 13 games.

“That’s the thing,” Aaron Boone said. “We haven’t put it all together [for long stretches] and been consistent enough offensively.”

The Yankees (62-67), who managed only a pair of singles by DJ LeMahieu and struck out 10 times, are 10 games out of the American League’s third and final wild-card slot. The Rays (79-52) remained three games behind the AL East-leading Orioles.

Glasnow (7-4, 3.12), who typically has been tough on the Yankees, allowed LeMahieu's first hit and two walks in six innings in which he struck out four. LeMahieu singled off Pete Fairbanks to lead off the ninth but was stranded as the righthander struck out two of the next three batters to earn his 17th save.

“He’s just got really good stuff,” Harrison Bader said of Glasnow. “He’s got really good stuff that looks like a strike for a long time and then breaks out of the zone. They pitched well today.”

LeMahieu, who was able to figure out two of the Rays' pitchers, is hitting .346 (18-for-52) with nine walks in his last 15 games and .318 (34-for-107) with 19 walks in his last 31 games.

Clarke Schmidt (8-8, 4.51) allowed one earned run in a career-best 6 2/3 innings and threw a career-high 99 pitches. Schmidt allowed three runs overall, six hits and no walks, striking out five.  

“It’s been kind of a knock on me recently, [getting] guys out the third time through the order and go deeper into games,” Schmidt said. “Obviously, being able to answer that call a bit tonight was a good feeling.”  

And an even better feeling for Schmidt because the righthander didn’t feel as crisp with his stuff.

“Stuff-wise, this wasn’t my best stuff of the year,” he said. “So it feels good to kind of learn how to use my stuff when it’s not at its sharpest. To be able to have one of my better outings of the year without my best stuff feels really good.”

The Rays scored a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the second, aided by a critical error by third baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa on Isaac Paredes' leadoff grounder. Luke Raley roped a double into the rightfield corner, putting runners at second and third. Sacrifice flies to center by Harold Ramirez and Jonathan Aranda made it 2-0.

The Yankees put their first and only runner in scoring position in the third. Ben Rortvedt walked with one out and went to second on LeMahieu’s groundout to third, but Aaron Judge, who went 0-for-4 with a strikeout and who is 0-for-8 with five strikeouts in the first two games of the series, popped to second to end the inning.

With two outs in the bottom of the third, Randy Arozarena doubled into the gap in right-center and scored on Josh Lowe’s double. The latter drive hit at the base of the wall, a ball that  Bader momentarily lost sight of in the cream-colored roof.

“On the way down, I just lost it. It’s a tough roof,” said Bader, not the first or last outfielder to have that issue in this ballpark. “He just clipped it really good and as it was coming down, you can kind of tell I just overran it a little bit, unfortunately.”

Glasnow retired nine straight after the walk to Rortvedt, with LeMahieu snapping that streak with a sharp single to right with one out in the sixth. But Judge fouled out to right and Gleyber Torres grounded to short.

Rays righty Robert Stephenson struck out two in a perfect seventh and righty Jason Adam struck out two in a perfect eighth.

“I didn’t think he was dominant today like we’ve seen him at times and I actually thought we had, for the most part, a lot of competitive at-bats. I don’t think we chased him out of the zone very often,” Boone said of Glasnow. “We hit some balls on the button but obviously weren’t able to do much against him.”

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.