Cam Schlittlers gem allows meager Yankees offense to stand in win over Rays
ST.PETERSBURG, Fla.
— As has been the case too often during their recent stretch of offensive futility, the Yankees didn’t get many hits — this time just three — on Monday night.But José Caballero and Ben Rice got their money’s worth, and Cam Schlittler made sure they were enough.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.
Caballero clobbered a pair of home runs, Rice added another and Schlittler delivered a masterful pitching performance, the combination lifting the Yankees to a much-needed and clean 5-1 win over the Rays to open a critical four-game showdown at Tropicana Field.Caballero crushed a three-run home run in the fifth inning — the Yankees’ first and only hit off Rays righty Griffin Jax — and added a solo shot in the eighth before Rice unloaded on a solo blast of his own in the ninth.Schlittler dazzled for eight innings and made the three home runs stand up to lift the Yankees (50-40) to just their second win in the last 11 games, this one pulling them within three games of the Rays (52-36) for the AL East lead.Schlitter was nearly untouchable, scattering just four soft-hit singles — all off the bat at 73.6 mph or slower — and no walks while striking out eight.The right-hander was coming off the worst start of his young career, when he gave up a career-high six runs and four home runs in four innings last week against the Tigers.
His time before that, he allowed four runs (all unearned) in five innings against the Red Sox.That it had come during a brutal stretch for the Yankees only magnified the rare hiccups.But he responded in impressive fashion to kick off about as big a series as July can offer.The Yankees had led the Rays by as many as 3 ¹/₂ games for the division on June 17.
It was a three-game lead on June 24, after which the Yankees dropped nine of 10 and the Rays won nine of 11, putting Tampa Bay four games up entering Mon...