Yankees bullpen, Ben Rice lift New York to 6-3 win over Rays

The Yankees didn’t get much from their starter, but the bullpen kept the game close and Ben Rice‘s four hits lifted New York to a 6-3 win over the Rays in Tampa Bay on Thursday night.

It was a bit of an oddity on Thursday with the Yankees playing at George M. Steinbrenner Field, their spring training home, as the visitors. And it felt like home for the offense, which collected 11 hits.

Here are the takeaways…

-The Yankees got out of the gate early, as New York started the game with three straight singles from Paul Goldschmidt, Rice and Aaron Judge, who knocked in his 22nd RBI of the season. But Rays starter Taj Bradley limited the damage to just the one run after getting Cody Bellinger to ground out before striking out Anthony Volpe and Jazz Chisholm Jr. popped out.

The Yankees not being able to cash in proved costly as Bradley settled in after the first inning, cruising through the next three innings, allowing just one baserunner. But that changed in the fifth. Oswaldo Cabrera hit a home run over the wall in right-center field with one out to cut the Rays’ lead to 3-2. Goldschmidt followed with a broken-bat single, then a Rice double before Judge was walked to load the bases. Bellinger grounded into a fielder’s choice, but got the tying run to score.

New York would retake the lead playing small ball in the sixth. After Chisholm led off with a walk, J.C. Escarra singled and Jazz went first to third. Jasson Dominguez hit a soft grounder and beat out the double play attempt to score Chisholm on his fielder’s choice. Rice then went the other way to plate two with a single, his fourth hit of the night, and the first four-hit game of his career.

–Will Warren started this game similarly to his last, missing the zone and getting into deep counts. The Rays made him pay, jumping on strikes for back-to-back singles to start the first, but Judge got Kameron Misner out trying to go from first to third to end Tampa’s threat. He’ll get in trouble again in the second, working with the bases loaded and one out. Warren got Taylor Walls to hit a sac fly for the second out, but walked the bases loaded, forcing manager Aaron Boone to get the young right-hander. Ryan Yarbrough was called upon to get out of the jam, and truck out Brandon Lowe swinging on a 3-2 count to keep the score tied 1-1.

Warren just couldn’t execute an out pitch, and the Rays’ batters continued to foul off pitches and elevated Warren’s pitch count. He pitched just 1.2 innings after throwing 53 pitches (30 strikes), allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out just one batter.

-Yarbrough had the unenviable task of trying to give the Yankees length but just couldn’t do it without giving up some runs. In the third, he allowed a two-run shot to Junior Caminero. The southpaw then pitched the bases loaded with just one out before getting a double play to end the inning. The left-hander would work into the fifth and get an out, but was pulled with men on first and second.

Tim Hill took over and allowed an infield single to load the bases before striking out Danny Jansen and getting Walls to ground out on the first pitch to get out of the inning.

-The Yanks’ bullpen would hold down the Rays’ lineup for the rest of the game. Here’s how the bullpen finished:

• Yarbrough: 2.2 IP (56 pitches/34 strikes), six hits, two earned runs, one walk, one strikeout

• Hill: 2.0 IP (23 pitches/14 strikes), one hit, two strikeouts

• Ian Hamilton: 1.2 IP (20 pitches/15 strikes), one hit, three strikeouts

• Devin Williams: 1.0 (6 pitches/5 strikes), no hits

-Chisholm finished 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored but his one strikeout was a bit controversial. In the seventh, Chisholm had a 3-2 count and saw a pitch seemingly land below the zone. Instead of a walk, home plate umpire John Bacon called it a strike, which incensed Chisholm, who gave it to the ump. Bacon gave Chisholm a few moments to vent, but eventually tossed the second baseman. It was the fifth career ejection for Chisholm, the last coming last April when he was with the Marlins.

Oswald Peraza would fill in for Chisholm at second and made an impact on defense. The young infielder made a sparkling diving play to get the first out of the ninth, stealing a leadoff single from the Rays.

-The Yankees picked up 11 total hits with Rice (4-for-5) doing most of the damage. Cabrera (2-3, BB) and Goldschmidt (2-5) were the only other Yankees with multiple hits. Judge went 1-for-4 with a walk.

Game MVP: Ben Rice

Honorable mention to the bullpen, but Rice’s four hits and especially the two-run single allowed the Yankees to come away with a win.

Highlights

What’s next

The Yankees and Rays continue their four-game set on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Carlos Rodon (1-3, 5.48 ERA) takes the mound looking to rebound for the Yankees, while the Rays will send out Drew Rasmussen (1-0, 0.60 ERA).

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