Yankees' offense non-existent again as they fall to Rays for third straight loss
DJ LeMahieu of the Yankees reacts after striking out to end the seventh inning against the Rays at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
It was fitting that Brian Cashman chose to hold his post-trade deadline news conference on Tuesday night during the top of the third inning of the Yankees-Rays game at Yankee Stadium.
“We’re in it to win it” was the general manager’s message on why he didn’t sell off any important pieces.
On the field, in the top of the third, the Rays were the ones who were in it to win it.
Yandy Diaz and Randy Arozarena homered off Carlos Rodon in the third, with Arozarena’s 415-foot two-run bomb to leftfield causing a pained reaction from the lefthander. Rodon then had to stand on the mound and wait for Arozarena to take one of the slowest trips around the bases in recorded history.
Tampa Bay’s three-run third was enough to finish off the Yankees and their pop-gun offense. The Rays went on to a 5-2 victory before an exasperated crowd of 38,047 in the Bronx.
The Yankees had seven baserunners, with four of them coming in the ninth.
Down 5-0 and having been held to three hits in the first eight innings, the Yankees attempt to rally against lefthander Colin Poche. Pinch hitter Harrison Bader doubled and scored two batters later on a two-out RBI double by Gleyber Torres. Anthony Rizzo singled and DJ LeMahieu hit a slow roller to third that went for a single and a throwing error on Isaac Paredes to make it 5-2.
With the tying run at the plate, manager Aaron Boone sent up Giancarlo Stanton to bat for Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Stanton struck out on four pitches against righthander Pete Fairbanks to end it.
The Yankees added no hitters at the deadline, making two minor deals for relievers.
“It’s on us,” Boone said. “It’s on the people in that room and we’ve got to figure it out if we’re going to get to where we want to go. I know it looks bad right now. We understand that. But we’ve got to find it from within now.”
Said Aaron Judge: “It’s on us as players. We’re fully capable with the guys we’ve got in this room to go out there and compete on a daily basis.”
Rodon, the Yankees’ $162 million pitcher, fell to 1-4 in his fifth start of the season. He allowed four runs, four hits and walked four in four innings with five strikeouts.
Rodon’s ERA is 6.29. He needed 52 pitches to get through the first two innings – Tampa Bay took a 1-0 lead on Manuel Margot’s RBI double in the second – and threw 97 pitches overall.
Diaz led off the third with a homer to right. Three batters later, Arozarena crushed his two-run shot to give Tampa Bay a seemingly insurmountable 4-0 advantage.
Tampa Bay starter Zach Eflin (12-6, 3.46 ERA) allowed three hits and struck out five in six scoreless innings.
“He went through us pretty easily,” Boone said.
The Yankees are 3½ games back of the final AL wild-card spot, which is why Cashman said he didn’t trade away any big-league players.
Said Cashman: “It was like, ‘I'd rather just keep it and take a shot.'"
Said Kiner-Falefa: “We really haven't helped our case. We’ve tried to play better, but we haven't, and we’ve put the front office in a weird spot. So whatever they do, it's on us, really.”
Kiner-Falefa has been traded twice – before the 2022 season from Texas to Minnesota and then the very next day from Minnesota to the Yankees.
Kiner-Falefa said the toughest part is “just moving, getting your cars to the new place, packing your bags. I’ve got a dog, too, and traveling with her, how am I going to get her there? That's where the anxiety comes from.”
Fido can breathe easier. Yankees fans? Not so much.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
