Benches clear as Yankees fail to secure elusive series win over Rays

TAMPA — The Yankees started their long road trip with a series loss, as the team fell to the Rays, 7-4, on Sunday at Tropicana Field.

The Yankees, who have won just one series since July began, blew a 4-2 lead with two outs in the sixth inning when an erratic Ian Hamilton gave up a single and hit a batter before Randy Arozarena picked up an infield hit. Harold Ramírez then poked one just over the head of Gleyber Torres, who didn’t get the best read on the two-run, game-tying blooper.

“I think if Gleyber has a better read of it, then he opens and runs to it and gives himself a better chance,” Aaron Boone said.

Brandon Lowe then gave the Rays the lead with his own two-run single off of Wandy Peralta. Hamilton was charged with all four runs that scored in the sixth.

“It was tough, but I’m trying to make pitches,” Hamilton said. “They were on ‘em.”

The Yankees had already overcome one rocky frame, as a first-inning stolen base attempt from Arozarena drew errant throws from Kyle Higashioka and Harrison Bader. The latter throw went by Oswald Peraza and Carlos Rodón near third base and allowed Arozarena to race home. Lowe followed up by immediately clobbering a solo home run to The Trop’s stingray tank in right-center field.

Rodón proceeded to load the bases, but he escaped the taxing inning without more damage.

The southpaw, working on a pitch count in his second start back from a hamstring injury, lasted 4.2 innings while tallying four hits, two earned runs, two walks and seven strikeouts. Rodón, who now has a 5.97 ERA this season, threw 84 pitches.

“It might have been the best four-inning stretch we’ve seen from him where everything got crisp with the fastball, with the slider,” Boone said, referring to Rodón’s performance after the first inning. “He probably got a little tired there in the end walking the two lefties. It’s obviously not what we wanted. He was at his pitch limit.”

The Yankees scored their first runs in the third inning when Higashioka and DJ LeMahieu hit solo homers. Anthony Volpe then added a two-run shot in the fourth inning.

Zach Littell surrendered all of the Yankees’ dingers. The Rays righty logged six innings while totaling four hits, four earned runs, one walk, four strikeouts and 92 pitches.

Things escalated in the eighth when Albert Abreu made Arozarena the game’s fourth Ray to get hit by a pitch. Arozarena immediately became angry and exchanged words with the pitcher as the benches cleared.

Both teams were warned, but another bench-clearing transpired moments later after Arozarena swiped second and third. The second steal prompted another interaction with Abreu as the two teams raced to the middle of the field.

Lowe then brought Arozarena home, without incident, on a double. After the game, the Yankees seemed to understand why tensions boiled over, as they hit five Rays in the series and 12 this year. That latter number includes Abreu hitting Arozarena earlier this season.

The Rays have hit the Yankees twice this year, including once on Sunday.

“Right there after I hit him, I’m trying to explain to him that I’m not trying to hit him,” Abreu said. “That’s not what I’m trying to do there. He was saying, ‘That’s the second time you hit me!’ But the reality is I’m a sinkerball pitcher, and in that moment, I’m trying to execute my pitch. What I’m trying to create there is weak contact. That’s what I’m looking for at that moment. So I’m definitely not trying to hit him. I’m just trying to execute my pitch and get some soft contact there.”

Added Boone, who had a conversation with Rays manager Kevin Cash: “It certainly wasn’t on purpose, but I understand when our guys get hit not on purpose, I don’t like it either. Unfortunately, sometimes it happens in the game. Today boiled over a little bit.”

Arozarena said that he felt the hit-by-pitch was on purpose, according to Bally Sports Florida’s Tricia Whitaker.

As for the second bench-clearing, Abreu wasn’t exactly sure what Arozarena said to him. But the reliever believed he was making a big deal about stealing two bases.

“I couldn’t really understand what he was saying there when he got to third base, but I can see that he’s still agitated,” Abreu said. “He’s taking it very personal and I’m trying to explain, ‘I’m not trying to hit you there.’ It felt like he was trying to make fun of the situation or the fact that he stole two bases, I don’t know. Just heat of the moment there.”

Cooler heads prevailed — no punches were thrown — and the Yankees mostly related to the Rays’ irritation, even as they insisted it was misplaced.

Hamilton, however, issued more of a challenge after he himself hit two batters, including one in the head with 95-mph heater.

“I understand it,” Hamilton said, “but at the same time, if they want to come over here, they can come over here. I wish we had another game against them.”

Hamilton added “my fault for starting that” with regards to a pitch that hit Isaac Paredes in his helmet. Paredes was fine after the game, per Whitaker.

“That’s really not what I want to see happen,” Higashioka said. “I’m just glad he was able to stay in the game, because that’s definitely a scary situation.”

With another series loss in the books, the last-place Yankees will try to take a four-game set in Detroit. The Tigers are in third-place in the abysmal American League Central, but they owned a 59-70 record before play began on Sunday.

Then again, “We haven’t been very good,” Boone said after his Yankees dropped another rubber game. “Everything’s been a challenge, not the rubber game. Everything’s been a challenge. We got to play better.”

Luis Severino and Michael King will start the first two games of the series, which begins Monday, for the Yankees, while Reese Olson and Tarik Skubal will take the ball for Detroit.

The Tigers had yet to announce their Wednesday and Thursday starters at the time of publication. Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt will start the last two games of the series before the Yankees head to Houston.