George Lombard Jr. drives Yankees past Rays after New York erases 4-0 deficit

The game changed when the silence ended

Tampa Bay controlled the first half of the night with steady pressure rather than power. Yandy Díaz opened the scoring in the third when he singled to right and Taylor Walls came home on a throwing error by right fielder Heliot Ramos, then Junior Caminero followed with a single to center that scored Díaz for a 2-0 lead. The Rays added on in the fifth when Caminero singled again to bring Díaz home, and they stretched it to 4-0 in the sixth when Liam Hicks produced a run on a fielder’s choice as Ryan Vilade scored and Luis Gil was charged with an error on the play.

That looked substantial because Ian Seymour had been in complete command. The Rays left-hander worked five scoreless innings, allowed one hit, walked nobody and struck out three. New York did not draw a walk against him and had little to show for the first five innings besides a Paul Goldschmidt single. The game had the shape of a slow Rays win until Wells changed it with one swing.

Wells homered to center in the sixth, a 403-foot drive that did more than cut the deficit to 4-1. It started a stretch in which the Yankees finally found lift in their offense. In the seventh, George Lombard Jr. doubled to left to score Ben Rice, then Volpe’s walk set up Lombard Jr. to score on a Brody Hopkins wild pitch. Goldschmidt tied it with a single to center that brought home Wells. An inning later, Lombard Jr. supplied the decisive blow, a 400-foot homer to left that also scored Amed Rosario and put New York ahead 6-4 for good.

Tampa Bay had traffic all night, but not enough damage

The scoreboard says the Rays scored four times, but the more telling number may be 22 runners left on base. Tampa Bay collected eight hits, drew seven walks and stole two bases. That is enough traffic to win many games, especially against a staff that also uncorked two wild pitches. Instead, the Rays finished with one extra-base hit, no home runs and only three credited RBIs, leaving the comeback door open.

The Yankees’ pitching line was a strange one: 8.2 innings, eight hits, seven walks and only two earned runs allowed. Cam Schlittler set the tone for that contradiction early. He struck out five in three innings, but needed 70 pitches and allowed two runs, one earned. Michael Fulmer piled up three strikeouts in 1.1 innings while giving up another run. Gil then delivered one of the oddest lines in the game, two no-hit innings with four walks and one unearned run. Bradley Hanner followed with 1.2 scoreless innings to help keep the Rays from cashing in all that traffic.

That same split defined the other side of the box score. Seymour gave Tampa Bay exactly what it needed, but once he exited, the relief group could not hold the shape of the game. Jake Woodford allowed three runs in 1.1 innings, Hopkins gave up another run in one-third of an inning, and Steven Matz was charged with the final two on Lombard Jr.’s homer. New York scored in every inning it batted after Seymour left, which is the clearest sign of how sharply the game tilted late.

Our take: the Yankees found the big swings, but both clubs left themselves lessons

This was not a polished Yankees win, but it was an instructive one. New York managed only seven hits and three walks, yet four of those hits went for extra bases, including the Wells homer and Lombard Jr.’s double-home run combination. That is how a quiet offense suddenly posted six runs. The Yankees did not overwhelm Tampa Bay inning after inning; they were simply forceful when the game finally offered them openings.

For the Rays, the improvement case is hard to miss. They do not need more baserunners than they created here. They need more impact from them. Tampa Bay reached often enough through Díaz, Caminero, Jonny DeLuca’s two walks and support from the lower half, but the club finished with only one double and no long ball. Caminero’s two RBI singles mattered, and Hicks added one more, yet a night with 15 baserunners should normally ask for more than four runs.

For the Yankees, the win should not erase the untidy parts. Two errors helped create two unearned runs, seven walks kept pressure on every inning, and the Rays stole two bases while seeing 175 pitches. New York escaped because the late offense hit harder than Tampa Bay’s did, not because the game was cleanly controlled. That is a useful formula for one night. It is a risky one if the extra traffic and defensive mistakes keep piling up.

Scoring moments

1. 3rd Inning

   Díaz singled to right, Walls scored on throwing error by right fielder Ramos, Díaz to second.

2. 3rd Inning

   Caminero singled to center, Díaz scored.

3. 5th Inning

   Caminero singled to left, Díaz scored.

4. 6th Inning

   Hicks grounded into fielder's choice to first, Vilade scored, Hicks to first on error by pitcher Gil, Díaz out at second.

5. 6th Inning

   Wells homered to center (403 feet).

6. 7th Inning

   Lombard Jr. doubled to left, Rice scored.

7. 7th Inning

   Volpe walked, Lombard Jr. scored on Hopkins wild pitch.

8. 7th Inning

   Goldschmidt singled to center, Wells scored, Caballero to third.

9. 8th Inning

   Lombard Jr. homered to left (400 feet), Rosario scored.