 but was thrown out at third on Brandon Lowe's grounder. Lowe advanced to second on a wild pitch before Manuel Margot walked.After both runners advanced on Willy Adames' grounder to first, Perez lined a single to right as the Rays took three of four from the AL East leaders.''I was just trying to put the ball in,'' Perez said through a translator.Perez drove in the only run on a sacrifice fly in the Rays' 1-0 victory over New York on Friday night, which was his 28th birthday.''A good birthday weekend for him,'' Rays manager Kevin Cash said.Brosseau and Lowe both homered in the seventh, when the Rays tied it at 3.Ryan Thompson (1-0) worked a perfect ninth for his first major league win.Rays starter Charlie Morton left with right shoulder inflammation after giving up a leadoff walk to Aaron Hicks in the third. The 36-year-old right-hander went 16-6 last year in his first season with Tampa Bay.''I don't feel like it's a big deal,'' said Morton, who first felt some tightness in the second inning.Yankees starter James Paxton took a one-hitter into the seventh before allowing a leadoff double to Jose Martinez. With one out, Brosseau hit a two-run homer, and two pitches later, Lowe connected for a solo shot.''Yeah, it definitely stings,'' New York manager Aaron Boone said. ''We had a chance to really salvage the trip. They put some good at-bats together to get back into the game. We take away a lot of good from the way Pax threw the ball.'' Paxton gave up four hits and struck out 11 over 6 1/3 innings.''It's a tough one,'' Paxton said.Tampa Bay loaded the bases with one out in the eighth and appeared to go up 4-3 when Hunter Renfroe was ruled safe at first on a potential double-play grounder. The Yankees challenged the call and it was overturned after a video review.The Yankees took a 3-0 lead in the fifth when Margot misplayed Gio Urshela's fly ball on the warning track in center field for a three-base error with two outs that allowed two runs to score.Margot was reinstated from the coronavirus-related injured list before the game. He was required to undergo intake screening after going to the Dominican Republic following the death of his father.The Yankees loaded the bases with one out in the first but scored just one run when Mike Ford was hit by a Morton pitch.Morton allowed one run and three hits in two-plus innings.BENCH BATTLESBoth benches came alive when Paxton walked off the field after being replaced following Lowe's homer.''They've been chirping the whole weekend.'' Lowe said. ''We chirped at them one once and they kind of get upset about it.'' Paxson called it ''some jawing'' between the teams.DC REACTION?The Rays designated Sean Gilmartin for assignment. He is married to White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. The lefty made one appearance this season, allowing three runs and five hits over 3 1/3 innings in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader.TRAINER'S ROOMYankees: OF Giancarlo Stanton was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. He will have an MRI on Monday. ... Closer Aroldis Chapman (coronavirus) will throw to hitters on Tuesday.Rays: RHP Oliver Drake was placed on the 10-day IL with right biceps tendinitis.UP NEXTYankees: Host Atlanta on Tuesday night.Rays: LHP Ryan Yarbrough (0-2) is the scheduled starter against Boston on Monday night in the first of four games at Fenway Park.--More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Paxton tries to regain form as Yankees face RaysLast season, the New York Yankees gained significant experience finding replacements for Giancarlo Stanton when he appeared in only 18 games.This year, Stanton appeared in 14 games before injuring his left hamstring, and the Yankees will get more experience finding a replacement for the slugger starting on Sunday, when they conclude a four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, FlaStanton got only 59 at-bats in his second season with the Yankees due to biceps, knee injuries, shoulder and calf injuries and then injured his calf during the first spring training. He hit his third homer in the doubleheader and is batting .293, but those numbers will be paused after Stanton tweaked his hamstring on a slide at second base during New York's 5-3 loss in the second game on Saturday.Manager Aaron Boone said the designated hitter is headed for the injured list."That's tough," Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge said. "A guy that's starting out with MVP numbers, driving the ball, coming up in big situations for us, that's going to be a tough loss for however long he's out. But our motto just like last year is next man up." Without Stanton, the Yankees will try to attain a split in a building where they have lost six of their last seven visits. The Yankees will try to halt their first slump of the season, as they enter the series with four losses in six games following a seven-game winning streak that gave them an 8-1 record.New York hit three homers in getting an 8-4 win in the opener of the doubleheader but allowed nine walks and did not homer for only the second time all season in the nightcap.Tampa Bay entered the series with six losses in seven games but has won two tight games in the series.After getting a 1-0 win Friday, the Rays salvaged the split by getting two-run singles from Austin Meadows and Kevan Smith. Meadows' hit broke a 1-1 tie and Smith's hit proved to be the game-winning hit."We'll take any of them, hard-hit blooper, it doesn't matter right now," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "We just want to get some guys on base and come up with a hit. It doesn't have to be the hardest hit ball and when you are scuffling like we are as a team; anything can really energize a dugout." The Rays are 22-5 in their last 27 regular-season home games and send Charlie Morton (1-1, 5.52 ERA) to the mound Sunday.Morton is the only Rays starter with a win this season and he got that win Tuesday, when he allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings Tuesday against the Red Sox. He allowed a homer to Mitch Moreland in the second inning and then retired nine of the last 10 hitters.Morton is 4-2 with a 3.97 ERA in eight career starts against the Yankees and at Tropicana Field, he is 2-0 with an 0.77 ERA in two starts against New York. He last faced the Yankees Sept. 25 in St. Petersburg, when he pitched 5 2/3 hitless innings before allowing a two-out single to DJ LeMahieu.New York is hoping to see improved velocity from James Paxton Sunday. Paxton (0-1, 13.50) underwent back surgery in February and his average fastball velocity through two starts is 91.8 mph, down from 95.4 last season when he was a 15-game winner.Paxton is pitching on six days' rest and has yet to complete three innings. He last pitched a week ago in New York's 9-7 win over Boston, when he allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits in three innings."I'm concerned," Paxton said. "Trying to do everything I can to figure out what's going on." Paxton is 3-1 with a 3.19 ERA in five career starts against the Rays.--Field Level Media
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