Rays Take 2-0 ALDS Lead as Yankees Commit Four Errors in 5-2 Game 2 Loss

The Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees 5-2 on Monday in St. Petersburg to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five American League Division Series, according to USA Today.

New York committed four errors in the game, three of them in the first inning, and three of Tampa Bay’s five runs were unearned, USA Today reported. Starting pitcher Cam Schlittler recorded 13 outs, his shortest postseason start, while working repeatedly with runners on base because of the defensive mistakes behind him.

Rice provides the only offense

The Yankees have scored two runs in the first two games of the series, both on solo home runs by Ben Rice in Game 2, according to USA Today. New York managed just one hit in Game 1, which USA Today described as the fewest in the franchise’s 447 postseason games. The Yankees are playing the series without Aaron Judge, who is sidelined with a strained calf, according to USA Today.

USA Today reported that Tampa Bay broke the game open in the fifth inning, when a series of hits and another defensive miscue produced three runs. New York’s best chance came earlier in that inning, when the Yankees loaded the bases with two outs before the rally ended on a fly ball to center field.

Series shifts to the Bronx

The series now moves to New York, where Max Fried is scheduled to start Game 3 for the Yankees on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, according to USA Today. Under the current playoff format, teams that win the first two games at home in a best-of-five series have advanced 33 of 36 times, USA Today noted. The Yankees last overcame a 2-0 deficit in the ALDS in 2017, when they lost the first two games in Cleveland and then won three straight.

Reporting based on coverage by USA Today.