Clarke Schmidt helps Yankees shut down Rays 2-0

Clarke Schmidt fired 6 2/3 scoreless innings, Anthony Rizzo drove in both runs and the New York Yankees earned a 2-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday at St. Petersburg, Fla.

Schmidt (4-1) won for the third time in four starts, while limiting the Rays to five hits and two walks while striking out six in 87 pitches.

New York relievers Nick Burdi, Luke Weaver and Clay Holmes finished up the six-hit shutout by giving up one combined hit over 2 1/3 innings, with Holmes recording his 12th save in 13 chances.

Rizzo went 2-for-4 with a home run. Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Trevino and Jon Berti also had two hits apiece, while Aaron Judge walked twice and scored a run.

In his season debut for the Rays, Taj Bradley (0-1) was impressive. Using an upper 90s fastball, the right-hander allowed just one run on four hits over six innings with seven strikeouts and two walks.

Yandy Diaz went 2-for-3 with a walk, but the Rays lost their second straight game after a five-game winning streak after they were shut out for the first time.

The Yankees put the first run on the board in the fourth inning after Judge received his second walk with one out. After moving to third on Stanton's 116.4 mph single to left, Judge came home on Rizzo's line-drive hit to left for a 1-0 lead.

Schmidt worked ahead of Rays hitters from the start, needing just 46 pitches to get through the first four innings, while scattering three singles.

Trevino and Berti managed one-out singles off reliever Kevin Kelly in the seventh, but left-hander Garrett Cleavinger came on and fanned Juan Soto with a 96-mph fastball looking to end the scoring chance.

Schmidt allowed a walk to Isaac Paredes to open the seventh, but he retired Harold Ramirez on a strikeout and Jonny DeLuca on a lineout. Burdi replaced Schmidt and the Yankees caught Paredes stealing, ending the reliever's outing without officially facing a batter.

Against Shawn Armstrong in the ninth, Rizzo clubbed the righty's first pitch, an 89-mph cutter, 392 feet to right for his seventh home run.

Holmes ran into trouble in the ninth after issuing two walks and yielding a single to pinch-hitter Austin Shenton, but he struck out DeLuca with the bases loaded to end the game.