Rays flex muscles again in beating Yankees a 2nd straight game

NEW YORK ― Maybe the Tampa Bay Rays were right, that Friday’s messy game was just one random bad performance, albeit badly timed as the first in a critical stretch from the All-Star break to the July 30 trade deadline.

Since then they’ve played quite well, with Sunday’s 6-4 win over the New York Yankees their second straight.

They hit a season high-matching four home runs in both wins, with Richie Palacios, Randy Arozarena, Jose Siri and Jose Caballero doing the honors Sunday. Shortstop Taylor Walls and Palacios turned a clutch double play in the seventh. And a sextet of relievers teamed to cover the final 17 outs after a short start by Shane Baz.

Closer Pete Fairbanks got the final three outs, and it was tense. After Oswaldo Cabrera popped out, Fairbanks walked Ben Rice. Juan Soto drove a ball to the left of center that Siri didn’t have a good read on and couldn’t make the play, resulting in an RBI double.

That brought up Aaron Judge, who earlier hit a three-run homer. Fairbanks got him to fly to center then, after balking Soto to third, struck out Austin Wells.

The win got the Rays back above .500 at 50-49 and ensured they would stay within 4 1/2 games of the third American League wild-card spot, with Boston playing later Sunday.

The Rays took a 5-0 lead into the seventh with Jason Adam, who has been their most reliable reliever, on the mound. But Adam, who had a 13-inning scoreless streak, wasn’t as sharp as usual. He allowed a single to No. 9 hitter Cabrera to start the seventh, a one-out single to Soto, then a long and loud homer to Judge — his 35th of the season — to cut the lead to 5-3.

The Yankees had a chance to add on when Wells singled, but second baseman Palacios and shortstop Walls combined to turn a slick double play that got them out of the inning.

The Rays grabbed the early lead. Palacios, the native New Yorker who has been feasting on pizza during his weeklong stay at home, started the game in supreme fashion, slicing a 3-2 pitch from Marcus Stroman over the right field fence.

The Rays made it 3-0 in the fourth.

Randy Arozarena, continuing his hot summer, launched a 1-2 slider from Stroman deep to left field, measured at 420 feet. Josh Lowe then reached on an error by second baseman Gleyber Torres, stole second and scored on a single by Caballero.

The Rays made it 5-0 in the seventh when Ben Rortvedt drew a two-out walk and Siri followed with a 433-blast over the centerfield wall. Caballero went deep in the ninth.

The early offensive support was helpful, as Baz didn’t get through the fourth, throwing 76 pitches to get 10 outs.

It actually was somewhat of a positive he got that far without allowing a run, considering he loaded the bases in the first and second innings with one out.

But he managed to escape both times. In the first, he got Torres to fly out and Alex Verdugo to ground out. In the second, with Judge on deck, he got Soto to ground into a double play.

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