Yankees drop second game of the series to the Rays in 7-2 loss

This game got off to a rough start for Nestor Cortes, who surrendered a lead-off home run to Yandy Diaz on the very first pitch he threw, and it set the tone for what his outing would look like. He would allow four runs on the day, with Randy Arozerana smacking an opposite-field blast off of him in the bottom of the third inning, but the 1-0 lead for the Rays didn’t go completely unchallenged.

All of the Yankees’ runs on the day came off the bat of an Anthony Volpe two-run single in the second that briefly gave them a 2-1 lead. He had a three-hit day and accounted for 60% of the hits the Yankees had on the day, as the offense was shut down by Zack Littell and the Rays’ bullpen. It was a great showing for the Tampa Bay pitching staff, and while the Yankees got close with a shot to right-center from Juan Soto that threatened to leave the yard, nothing materialized after that Volpe single.

Dennis Santana would allow three runs in an inning of work, and the Yankees would find themselves down five runs and completely out of the game by the time the top of the eighth inning rolled around. Following this loss, they’ll fall to 26-15 on the season, as Luis Gil gets the ball tomorrow at 1:40 PM to try and hand the Yankees a series win in this rubber matchup.