Yankees Snap Slump with Big Victory Over Rays

PETERSBURG, Fla. — Thursday afternoon, something that had seemed elusive for the Yankees in recent weeks finally materialized. It’s fascinating how baseball works, right? I mean, just look at the opposing pitcher, who had silenced the Yankees in two earlier outings this season.

What the Yankees discussed during their morning meeting clearly paid off, as they broke free from their offensive rut with a six-run rally against Drew Rasmussen. This propelled them to a significant 12-4 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field, a victory they desperately needed.

The Yankees (51-42) scored those six runs in the third inning, which was quite an improvement considering their struggles—they hadn’t scored that much in one inning since mid-June. Before this game, they had a dismal 5-15 record. But on this day, their bats came alive, and they finished the four-game series just four games behind the Rays (54-37) in the AL East race.

It was a day that began with General Manager Brian Cashman acknowledging “a storm brewing” and standing by manager Aaron Boone and hitting coach James Rowson. The Yankees made a strong comeback, racking up 14 hits and demonstrating decent performances from their bullpen with contributions from seven different relievers.

Ben Rice shone brightly, hitting two home runs—bringing his tally to six in the last nine games and 28 for the season. Austin Wells also joined the fun, launching his first home run since May 22, which was a much-needed boost for the catcher during a tough offensive season.

Still, the highlight of the game belonged to Ryan McMahon, who sparked the long-awaited offensive surge. Rasmussen, the All-Star pitcher, had previously silenced the Yankees with 13 scoreless innings this season. Yet he quickly found himself in trouble after retiring the first six batters.

Things changed when Max Schumann led off the third inning with a double, and McMahon engaged in a lengthy at-bat, culminating in a double that brought the team to a tipping point.

Following Wells’s flyout, the Yankees rallied, with the next five batters recording hits, ultimately knocking Rasmussen out of the game. Trent Grisham doubled, Rice brought in two runs, and Jason Dominguez along with the struggling Cody Bellinger both had infield hits. Jose Caballero then secured a hit-and-run single, stretching the lead to 5-1.

After Rasmussen exited, Jazz Chisholm Jr. capped off the inning with a sacrifice fly that extended the lead to 6-1. But let’s be honest, things weren’t predictable from that point on, especially given the Yankees’ recent struggles.

Jake Byrd took over for starter Paul Blackburn and quickly walked the leadoff man, giving the Rays a pair of runs. Ryan Yarbrough was summoned to fix the situation.

In the end, the Yankees wrapped up the game with a deep hit from Wells in the fourth, a three-run homer by Rice in the sixth, another RBI double from McMahon in the seventh, and an RBI single from Bellinger in the eighth.