Yankees Edge Rays as July Winds Down

Certainly, when the score was 1-0 heading into the eighth inning, it seemed clear how this game would conclude. It simply required a few additional innings before it ended as everyone anticipated… Another lost lead, failed save, and dramatic walk-off victory for the New York Yankees.

The Rays started the day with a .500 record and finished the evening below .500 for the first time since May 25th. Their sharp drop from being only half a game behind the top-ranked Yankees to now falling 9.5 games behind in less than a month has been extremely difficult to witness. This was once again true on Wednesday night.

The Rays took an early 1-0 advantage in the third inning after Brandon Lowe hit an RBI double. Zach Littell contributed during what turned out to be his last game with the Rays. He pitched five innings without giving up a run, yielding only two hits. He issued four walks and recorded four strikeouts.

Cleavinger and Englert each threw scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh, keeping the game at 1-0 heading into the eighth.

However, as has happened throughout the entire season, the pressure eventually built up and resulted in a lost advantage by the Rays' bullpen. Midseason addition, Brian Baker, stepped onto the field in the eighth inning and immediately gave up two runs, along with the lead.

Down by 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Josh Lowe seized control and hit a game-changing two-run home run along the right-field line. This shot put the Rays ahead with a score of 3-2.

Fairbanks entered during the latter part of the inning and immediately lost the lead, allowing a tying home run off Anthony Volpe. The Yankees failed to score the go-ahead run in the ninth, leaving the outcome to be determined by Manfred-Ball.

The Rays were able to get runners on all three bases in the 10th inning, and with one out, Aranda hit a high fly ball toward left field that nearly resulted in a game-winning grand slam. However, it turned into a lengthy sacrifice fly, giving the Rays a 4-3 advantage.

That wasn't sufficient when Edwin Uceta allowed a one-out game-tying triple from Cody Bellinger. However, with a runner on third and fewer than two outs, Uceta managed to get out of the situation, taking the game into the 11th inning.

The Rays failed to score, and then Kevin Kelly entered the game hoping to take us into the 12th inning. Just moments after his name was called through the speaker system, the game concluded. Following Dominguez being put on base to create a potential double-play opportunity, Kelly swiftly eliminated that danger but committed an error, advancing Jazz to third and Dominguez to second. Ryan McMahon finished the job by hitting a long fly ball into deep center field, allowing Chisholm Jr. to cross home plate and securing a 5-4 victory for the Yankees.

Overall, the Rays' relief pitching failed to maintain three different one-run advantages starting in the eighth inning.

The same outcome, but under different circumstances. The drop in rankings has closely matched a terrible period from the pitching relief and there's no way around it. It seems like no lead is secure, and a one-run gap could just as easily be a four-run disadvantage. Games that are tied rarely stay that way for very long. Whenever the Rays require a victory the most, they've repeatedly failed to deliver.