ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – It was Tampa Bay’s .150-hitting infielder Taylor Walls who, after a loss in the first game of this four-game series, called the Yankees “very beatable.”
The Yankees mostly shrugged.
But Walls and the Rays backed up his observation as they took the final two games, including Sunday’s 4-2 victory at Tropicana Field, to split the teams’ first meeting of 2022.
Walls hit the go-ahead home run off Luis Severino in the fifth inning and made a key defensive play in the eighth to steal a run and snuff out a Yankees rally. The Yankees went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Gleyber Torres and Aaron Judge homered for the Yankees, who left town with the same 4 1/2-game lead in the AL East that they had when they arrived to face their plucky division rivals.
The Yankees jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Torres led off the second with a towering home run to left off lefthander Shane McClanahan.
It was Torres’ ninth home run of the season in his 161st plate appearance. Last season, he had nine home runs total in 516 plate appearances.
The Yankees could have had more – remember that theme – after Miguel Andujar singled and move to third when Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s one-out grounder skipped under the glove of first baseman Yandy Diaz for an error.
Kyle Higashioka – after fouling off a bunt attempt – struck out, and Joey Gallo (0-for-4, average down to .167) grounded into the shift to end the inning.
Ji-Man Choi tied it off Severino when he led off the bottom of the second with an opposite-field homer to left.
The Yankees had another golden chance in the third when DJ LeMahieu led off with a single and moved to third on Judge’s single.
Anthony Rizzo (0-for-4, .213) struck out, as did Torres, and Andujar grounded into a forceout to end the threat.
Walls gave Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead with his fifth-inning home run to right.
Torres and Andjuar opened the sixth with consecutive singles, giving the Yankees more cracks with runners in scoring position.
But Aaron Hicks, back in the lineup for the first time since Wednesday, lined out to third and Kiner-Falefa grounded into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. That left the Yankees 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
McClanahan went six innings, allowing seven hits and striking out seven.
Severino, who hadn’t walked a batter, issued free passes to the first two men in the seventh. After a strikeout of Manuel Margot, Severino was replaced by rookie Ron Marinaccio, who walked Walls to load the bases, walked pinch hitter Harold Ramirez to force in a run and hit Mike Zunino with a pitch to force in another and hand Tampa Bay a 4-1 advantage.
Severino (3-1, 3.38 ERA) went 6 1/3 innings and was charged with four runs. He allowed two hits – the home runs -- and struck out eight.
Judge gave the majority Yankees fans in the modified sellout crowd (the upper deck was closed) something to cheer about when he led off the eighth with a homer off lefthander Colin Poche that went in front of the sting rays tank in right-center. Judge’s MLB-best 18th home run made it 4-2.
Torres (3-for-4) singled with one out and moved to second on a wild pitch, creating another RISP situation.
But Andujar fouled out and, after Torres stole third, Hicks hit a hot shot up the middle that seemed ticketed for an RBI single to center. But Walls made a sliding backhanded stab and threw out Hicks to end the inning. Hicks went 0-for-4 and is batting .200.
