Yankees squander late lead but hope they avoided the worst in loss to Rays

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.Big picture, the Yankees’ eighth inning could have gone much worse. Smaller picture, it cost the club a game. The Yankees coughed up a one-run lead when the Rays found their way on base, ran wild, inadvertently brought about an Anthony Volpe scare and scored the go-ahead run on a Volpe error in a 3-2 Yankees loss in front of 44,051 in The Bronx on Saturday. The Yankees (19-14) wasted home runs from Aaron Judge (up to 11 on the season) and Austin Wells, as well as a solid spot start from Ryan Yarbrough.

They have split the first two games of the series despite allowing six total hits in large part because of a strange top of the eighth that started with a serious concern. The Yankees began the frame up, 2-1, and Christopher Morel ground a single into the shortstop hole that Volpe chased and attempted to stab with a full-extension dive — and then remained down as the ball caromed off his glove.Volpe appeared to be holding his left shoulder, which a trainer worked on as manager Aaron Boone and a swarm of Yankees — a kneeling Judge, Trent Grisham, Cody Bellinger, Oswaldo Cabrera and Jorbit Vivas — knelt around the everyday shortstop. After several minutes, Volpe rose and appeared to talk his way into remaining in the game.

If the Yankees breathed a sigh of relief, more-immediate worry then set in about the game itself.  Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+.Please provide a valid email address.

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walked Brandon Lowe to put two on, and a double steal (the Rays’ fifth and sixth thefts of the afternoon) then put two in scoring position.Curtis Mead drove a 3-2 single into left field to tie it.�...