Sloppy Yankees Fall 5-2 to Rays in Game 2, Face ALDS Sweep at Home
Errors and a quiet offense sank New York at Tropicana Field, leaving the Yankees one loss from elimination heading into Game 3 at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday.
The Yankees are one loss from elimination after a sloppy 5-2 defeat at Tropicana Field. Defensive mistakes helped the Rays score first, and New York's ace Cam Schlittler was knocked out in a decisive fifth inning. Fans searching for the Yankees are looking for how the team ended up in such a deep hole.
What went wrong for the Yankees
The trouble started immediately. According to MLB.com, the Rays took the lead in a three-error first inning behind Schlittler. Yandy Díaz reached on an error by third baseman Ryan McMahon, moved to second on a Jonathan Aranda single, then scored when the Yankees threw away an attempt at a double play on a grounder by Junior Caminero.
The mistakes did not stop there. In the fifth, shortstop George Lombard Jr. couldn't handle a grounder from Chandler Simpson that gave Tampa Bay a two-run lead. Lombard then committed another error that let Jonny DeLuca reach base. Counting the first inning and the fifth, that is at least four Yankees errors.
"There's a saying: 'Put the ball in play, and good things happen,'" catcher Austin Wells said. "For them, it happens a lot."
The fifth inning
Schlittler, an AL Cy Young favorite, struck out only two batters, the fewest of his season. The Rays struck out less than any other team in the majors this year, and their contact-heavy approach put constant pressure on the defense.
Aranda opened the fifth with a single and Caminero followed with a 112.4 mph double. Liam Hicks drove in a run with a groundout, and Simpson's grounder made it a two-run game. After Simpson stole second and DeLuca reached on the error, Palacios lined a two-run single off lefty Brent Headrick to make it 5-1.
Palacios, a Brooklyn native who grew up a Yankees fan, said it was "very special" to do it against a team he watched as a kid.
The offense and a bad break
The Yankees' bats could not mount a comeback. Rookie Spencer Jones hit a towering fly ball in the second inning that struck a catwalk ring high above the field at Tropicana Field. It was a live ball, and Rays right fielder Victor Mesa Jr. caught it for an out. The sources do not detail how New York scored its two runs.
Sportsnet also posed the question of whether the offensive woes or the defensive errors are the bigger concern for New York. The sources don't settle it, but Game 2 showed that the defense gave Tampa Bay its early lead and extra outs in the fifth.
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What it means for you
Game 3 is Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium, televised in the U.S. on TBS, truTV, UniMas and HBO Max. Tampa Bay can finish the series with a sweep, while the Yankees must win to stay alive.
Historically, MLB.com notes, teams that win the first two games at home in a Division Series with the current 2-2-1 format have won the series 33 of 36 times. That is a trend, not a guarantee, and the Yankees will need cleaner defense to extend the series.
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