Austin Wells had given the Yankees one thing to sink their tooth into.
Hours after the catcher debuted his new signature burrito at choose Yankee Stadium concession stands, Wells slugged a go-ahead dwelling run within the fifth inning of Saturday’s recreation towards the Tampa Bay Rays.
However the Rays did simply sufficient to spoil the afternoon.
The Yankees suffered a 3-2 loss after the Rays delivered a come-from-behind two-run rally within the high of the eighth.
The Yankees led 2-1 going into that eighth inning, however reliever Mark Leiter Jr. surrendered a leadoff single to Christopher Morel. Pinch-runner Chandler Simpson stole second base, and Leiter walked Brandon Lowe.
Simpson and Lowe then pulled off a double steal, placing two runners in scoring place with no outs.
Leiter struck out Junior Caminero, however with the infield in, Curtis Mead poked a 79.7-mph RBI single into left discipline, tying the sport, 2-2.
José Caballero then grounded up the center, however as shortstop Anthony Volpe tried to show an unassisted double play, he booted the ball, permitting Lowe to attain to provide Tampa a 3-2 lead.
The three stolen bases in that inning have been a part of a six-steal day for the Rays.
The Yankees had an opportunity to reply within the backside of the eighth, however with runners on the corners and two outs, Aaron Choose grounded out to quick to extinguish the scoring menace.
Choose had homered within the first inning — his eleventh of the season — towards Rays starter Zack Littell to provide the Yankees a 1-0 lead.
The rating was tied, 1-1, within the backside of the fifth, when Wells pulled a 3-2 slider from into the right-field seats to place the Yankees again up, 2-1.
The 384-foot blast was the sixth dwelling run of the season for Wells.
However Saturday took Wells’ connoisseurship one step additional.
Yankee Stadium started promoting “The Wells Favurrito,” a breakfast burrito handpicked by Wells that comprises eggs, sausage, Maple Metropolis fries, cheddar jack cheese and chipotle aioli. The burrito can be out there solely at day video games in sections 110, 217, & 321.
Clarke Schmidt had been scheduled to pitch Saturday, however the Yankees pushed the right-hander’s begin to Tuesday after he skilled soreness on his left facet. An MRI got here again clear.
Left-handed lengthy reliever Ryan Yarbrough began in Schmidt’s place and held the Rays to at least one run over 4 innings.
Yarbrough restricted Tampa to at least one hit, however he issued three walks, together with a pair within the second inning. A kind of walks — to Curtis Mead — changed into a run when Taylor Partitions lifted a one-out sacrifice fly to heart discipline with the bases loaded.
However Yarbrough escaped additional harm when he fielded a broken-bat comebacker by Yandy Diaz — and dodged the hurtling barrel — for the ultimate out.
Yarbrough, who spent his first 5 MLB seasons with the Rays from 2018-22, recorded two strikeouts and threw 64 pitches.
It was Yarbrough’s ninth look and first begin with the Yankees, whom he signed with in the course of the remaining week of spring coaching. He lowered his ERA to three.72.
Ian Hamilton pitched a scoreless inning, whereas Fernandez Cruz fired two shutout frames. However the Rays received to Leiter for 2 runs in one-third of an inning to even the three-game sequence at one win apiece.
Volpe appeared to injure his left shoulder when he dove for Morel’s eighth-inning single, however after a prolonged on-field delay, the shortstop remained within the recreation.
Choose completed 2-for-4 and is now hitting an MLB-best .432.
The Yankees go for a sequence victory on Sunday afternoon, with Will Warren (1-1, 5.63 ERA) scheduled to match up towards the Rays’ Taj Bradley (2-2, 4.58 ERA).
