Rays Push Yankees to the Brink After Sloppy Game 2

Yankees Defense Crumbles in Game 2

The Tampa Bay Rays are now just one win away from reaching the American League Championship Series. On Monday night, they took advantage of a sloppy defensive performance by New York to beat the Yankees 5-2. The Rays now hold a 2-0 lead in the best of five series.

New York committed four errors in the game, including three in the very first inning alone. This made them the first team to commit three errors in the opening inning of a postseason game since the Oakland Athletics did so in 1975.

The Decisive Fifth Inning

With the game tied 1-1 in the fifth, Tampa Bay's small-ball offense chased Yankees starter Cam Schlittler. Jonathan Aranda singled and Junior Caminero doubled to put runners in scoring position. Liam Hicks then hit a bouncer to second base, scoring Aranda to give the Rays a 2-1 lead.

Moments later, shortstop George Lombard Jr. booted a grounder from Chandler Simpson, which allowed Caminero to score. After Jonny DeLuca reached on another throwing error by Lombard, Richie Palacios hit a two-run single to center. That capped a four-run frame and put the Rays ahead 5-1.

Tampa Bay's pitching staff did the rest. Freddy Peralta allowed one run in 4 and 2/3 innings. Cam Booser escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth, and Ian Seymour threw three innings, giving up a solo home run to Ben Rice. Bryan Baker finished with a perfect ninth inning to earn his second save.

New York Faces Elimination

The Yankees are on the verge of elimination, which would extend their World Series drought to 17 seasons. Their offense has struggled mightily without three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge, who is out with a calf injury. New York has scored only two runs in the first two games of the series.

Ben Rice provided the only highlights for New York, hitting two solo home runs. His first blast in the fourth inning tied the game at 1-1, but the Yankees could not sustain any momentum. Schlittler took the loss, giving up four runs, two of them earned, over 4 and 1/3 innings.

Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees will start left-hander Max Fried, who has a 5-5 record with a 2.80 ERA. The Rays will counter with right-hander Nick Martinez, who went 15-6 with a 3.10 ERA in the regular season.

What it means for the next game

Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees (MLB, Thu, 08 Oct): New York Yankees win 55%, Tampa Bay Rays win 45%; projected score New York Yankees 4, Tampa Bay Rays 3. Our safest pick: Rays +3.5.

Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees (MLB, Fri, 09 Oct): New York Yankees win 54%, Tampa Bay Rays win 47%; projected score New York Yankees 4, Tampa Bay Rays 4. Our safest pick: Yankees +1.5.