Rays Snap Losing Streak with Late Rally against Yankees

St. Petersburg, Florida — Curtis Mead and José Caballero led a late-game rally for the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday, driving in two crucial runs in the eighth inning to secure a 3-2 victory over the New York Yankees.

The game began with Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hitting a home run in the first inning against Rays pitcher Zack Littell, who managed to retire 11 batters in a row following the homer. Austin Wells then took his turn in the fifth, hitting his sixth homer of the season, giving New York a 2-1 lead.

Judge has been on fire recently, hitting four home runs in his last six games and boasting a league-leading batting average of .432. His current streak of reaching base has extended to 29 games, with 26 hits in 52 at-bats over the last 13 games.

The Rays responded in the second inning when Taylor Walls hit a sacrifice fly against emergency starter Ryan Yarbrough. Yarbrough stepped in to pitch after Clarke Schmidt was sidelined due to left side discomfort.

The Yankees faced another setback in the eighth inning when shortstop Anthony Volpe took a hard fall while trying to field a ground ball from Christopher Morel. Although he remained in the game, x-rays were negative, and it’s uncertain if he will undergo further tests.

Volpe, who celebrated his 24th birthday on Monday, has a season average of .233 with five homers, 19 RBIs, and four stolen bases. Oswald Peraza is expected to take over as the starting shortstop for Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay.

The Yankees are already dealing with multiple injuries, including Jazz Chisholm Jr. (right oblique strain) and DJ LeMahieu (left calf strain). They continue to fight through their injury woes as the season progresses.

This victory helped the Rays end a four-game losing streak and provided a moment of relief with their next challenge ahead.