Rays hit 4 home runs, Glasnow throws a gem in 5-1 win over the Yankees

Tampa Bay Rays' Tyler Glasnow pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Monday, July 31, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

NEW YORK (AP) — Tyler Glasnow pitched seven splendid innings and the Tampa Bay Rays hit four early homers off spot starter Jhony Brito to beat the New York Yankees 5-1 on Monday night.

Brandon Lowe launched a two-run drive in the first and Wander Franco added a solo shot in the third before Isaac Paredes and Josh Lowe went back-to-back in the fourth.

Before the game, the Rays gave their rotation a significant boost by acquiring right-hander Aaron Civale from Cleveland in a trade for highly regarded minor league prospect Kyle Manzardo.

Tampa Bay then went out and took the opener of a three-game series between division rivals behind Glasnow. The Rays began the day 1 1/2 games behind first-place Baltimore in the AL East and leading the wild-card standings by four games.

Brito (4-5) was called up from the minors earlier in the day to start in place of Domingo Germán, who was scratched because of discomfort in his armpit that prevented him from playing catch Sunday.

Germán, however, entered out of the bullpen in the fifth and worked five scoreless innings of two-hit ball. He was scheduled to get checked by a doctor in the late afternoon, and manager Aaron Boone had said the Yankees didn’t think the right-hander would need a stint on the injured list.

The 6-foot-8 Glasnow (5-3) allowed three hits and struck out eight, improving to 3-0 in his past four starts. With runners at the corners in the sixth, he got Giancarlo Stanton to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Glasnow has gone seven innings in each of his past three outings. Robert Stephenson and Pete Fairbanks finished the three-hitter.

Jake Bauers homered in the second for the last-place Yankees (55-51), who fell to 1-3 since Aaron Judge came off the injured list. The star slugger walked three times and struck out.

New York entered 3 1/2 games out of an American League playoff spot.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: After sitting out Sunday night in Baltimore, Judge was back in the lineup at DH and Boone said he hopes to play the 2022 AL MVP in all three games of the series. Judge returned Friday from a torn ligament in his right big toe that he sustained in early June.

UP NEXT

An hour after baseball’s trade deadline passes Tuesday evening, Rays RHP Zach Eflin (11-6, 3.64 ERA) faces LHP Carlos Rodón (1-3, 5.75) in the middle game of the series.

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