ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jeffrey Springs pitched neatly into the sixth inning, Christian Bethancourt hit two-run homer in the seventh, and the Tampa Bay Rays moved within five games of the AL East-leading New York Yankees with a 9-0 victory on Friday night.
It was the first of six games between the teams in a 10-day span as New York saw its once-commanding 15 1/2 game advantage continue to evaporate.
"Just embarrassing when you get beat like that," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "We've got a much better standard in that room, now we've got to start living up to it.