Though the New York Yankees started the season strongly, Aaron Judge struggled at the plate, which was evident until their initial three-game losing streak. Judge came through with his most significant hit of the season on Wednesday afternoon, and the Yankees hope this will ignite a hot streak starting with Friday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees are off to a 13-6 start despite Judge hitting just .183 with three homers, 17 RBIs, and a .710 OPS. This situation mirrors his performance two seasons ago when he managed just one homer in his first 13 games but then set an AL record with 62 homers. This time, Judge is recovering from a toe injury he suffered last season.
Judge’s two-run single in the ninth inning on Wednesday completed a four-run rally in a 6-4 win over the Blue Jays. Prior to that key hit, Judge had been 1-for-12 during the Yankees’ three-game losing streak. Judge explained his mindset in the critical moment: “Just put the ball in play and try to create something. The guys ahead of me had great at-bats that led to that moment.” Before Judge’s crucial hit, Juan Soto started the rally with a home run in the eighth, part of his third three-hit game of the season. In the ninth inning, Giancarlo Stanton hit a homer, followed by Jose Trevino’s tying single, and Judge’s hit clinched the Yankees’ eighth win by a margin of two runs or less.
The Rays have a 6-3 record in their last nine games, including splitting a four-game series with the Los Angeles Angels. Despite their bullpen’s 6.00 ERA, seven of their last eight wins have been by two runs or less, including Thursday’s 2-1 victory. The Rays hope to maintain their success from their recent road trip, where they went 4-2 against the Colorado Rockies and Angels. Tampa Bay’s manager, Kevin Cash, praised the Yankees for their strong play and acknowledged the intense rivalry between the teams. Amed Rosario stood out with an RBI triple and is currently hitting .409 with two homers and nine RBIs over a 10-game hitting streak, just two games shy of his career-high. Rosario’s performance came while Randy Arozarena took a rest after struggling with a batting average of .127 over his previous 14 games.
Cash commented on Rosario’s form, stating that he’s the ideal player to have at the plate with runners on base. The Yankees will start Clarke Schmidt (1-0, 3.68 ERA), who recently earned his first win of the season. Although Schmidt struggled with control, allowing five walks and two runs (one earned) in five-plus innings during a 3-2 win against Cleveland on Saturday, his overall stats against the Rays in his career are 1-3 with a 4.24 ERA in eight games. Last season, he had two starts against the Rays with an 0-2 record and a 6.35 ERA.
Tampa Bay will counter with left-hander Tyler Alexander (1-0, 6.46), making his second start of the season. In his last outing, Alexander entered the game in the third inning and was credited with the win, giving up two runs and six hits over six innings in a 9-4 victory against the San Francisco Giants. Alexander’s first start of the season resulted in a no-decision; he surrendered four runs and eight hits, including two homers, in 4 1/3 innings against the Colorado Rockies on April 6. Alexander’s record against the Yankees includes one start and two relief appearances, with an overall 0-1 record and a 3.38 ERA.