Bronx Bummer: Rays 0, Yankees 3

Goldschmidt homers, Rays’ offense remains silent.

In a game where scoring opportunities were sparse, one swing by Paul Goldschmidt for the Yankees turned out to be decisive, as the Tampa Bay Rays fell to the New York Yankees 3-0 at Yankee Stadium Tuesday night.

Ryan Pepiot started for Tampa Bay and battled through early innings without allowing the Yankees to capitalize on their initial opportunities. Pepiot looked good in the early frames, notably escaping unscathed in the third inning after Aaron Judge roped a two-out triple. Pepiot induced a pop-up from Ben Rice, ending the threat and preserving a scoreless game through three.

Meanwhile, the Rays’ offense struggled from the beginning. A moment of concern arrived early when Yandy Díaz was hit by a pitch in the first inning, causing an injury delay. Díaz remained in the game, but Tampa Bay could not take advantage of the free runner as Díaz was out at second on a Junior Caminero groundball to third base.

The Rays’ offensive frustration continued in the second inning when José Caballero drew a walk but was promptly picked off first base with a smooth move by Yankees starter Max Fried, shutting down another potential rally. Fried effectively neutralized Tampa’s bats all night, allowing only one hit and striking out six across seven dominant innings.

The scoreless deadlock continued until the bottom of the fifth when the Yankees finally broke through against Pepiot and reliever Mason Montgomery. Jorbit Vivas led off with a walk, and Aaron Judge followed with a double, putting two runners in scoring position. Montgomery replaced Pepiot. Pepiot had some immediate success striking out Ben Rice but was greeted rudely by Paul Goldschmidt, who connected on a three-run homer to right field, giving the Yankees more than enough runs for the night.

After falling behind, the Rays’ bullpen managed to keep the deficit at three, with Eric Orze, Manuel Rodríguez, and Garrett Cleavinger combining to shut out the Yankees in the final innings. Rodríguez was particularly effective, quickly retiring the heart of the Yankees’ order in the seventh.

Despite their bullpen’s steady performance, the Rays’ offense failed to score a single run, much less mount a comeback. Yankees relievers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver seamlessly continued the shutout in the eighth and ninth innings. Weaver ended the game emphatically by striking out Díaz and Caminero to complete the save and secure the Yankees’ shutout.

The Rays were held to just one hit on the night, with José Caballero the only player to reach base via a fifth-inning single.

Max Fried earned the win for the Yankees, while Ryan Pepiot was tagged with the tough-luck loss despite a solid performance.

With the loss, the Rays dropped their fourth consecutive game, continuing their struggle to consistently generate offense since their West Coast road trip. The Rays are also now just 9-14 in games played at Yankee Stadium and their temporary home, Steinbrenner Field, while holding a 5-4 record in stadiums not affiliated with the Yankees.

Tampa Bay will look to regroup quickly, as they continue the series in New York, hoping their bats will wake up and support their pitching staff. First pitch tomorrow is at 1:05 p.m. with RHP Zack Littell taking the mound for the Rays opposite RHP Clarke Schmidt for the Yankees.