NEW YORK — Yankees fans paying their way into Yankee Stadium on Friday night were in no mood to see more of the recent same from their hitters.
And so the Bronx cheers were out early.
They were boos when Gleyber Torres grounded out to end a Yankees first inning that turned fruitless after Juan Soto and Aaron Judge singled with one out. They booed louder when two on and nobody out in the second led into nothing courtesy of a Trent Grisham strikeout and DJ LeMahieu double-play grounder.
Wasted opportunities like this were sprinkled throughout the Yankees’ limp to the All-Star break with eight wins in their last 26 games.
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First game back, the Yankees did get their offensive motor running after the slow start.
And Luis Severino listen up, this wasn’t Soto and Judge doing ALL of the heavy lifting again in a 6-1 Yankees win over the Rays.
When the Yankees loaded the bases with nobody out in the third, they didn’t settle for just one run on a groundout thanks to Anthony Volpe delivering a three-run, two-out double.
This big hit that made it 4-0 Yankees highlighted Volpe’s best game in what’s been a slump-filled July, a 2-for-3 that followed a 14-game 6-for-56.
Also, Austin Wells walked twice, was on base three times and scored a run, and fellow rookie Ben Rice ignited the four-run second with a leadoff walk.
As for the guys that Severino called the Yankees’ only two good hitters, Soto and Judge had big nights, too, after starting this week’s All-Star Game in Texas.
Soto was 4-for-4 with a walk, three runs scored, a bunt single and two doubles, the second turning into a Little League home run thanks to two Rays’ errors.
Judge was 2-for-4 with a walk and sixth-inning ribbie single that made it 6-1 Yankees.
All of this run support made for an easy night for Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, who held the Rays to a run on six hits with eight strikeouts and one walks.
Cole, who left after six with his pitch count at 103, was furious when the second inning started with plate umpire Quinn Wolcott calling a pitch clock violation on him for taking too long with his warmups.
The Rays wound up putting a man on second with one out when Jose Caballero singled and advanced on a hit-and-run groundout, but Cole got out of the inning by striking out Richie Palacios and retiring Isaac Parades on a flyball to left.
The Rays’ only run off Cole came in the sixth on a leadoff homer by Brandon Lowe.
After Cole departed, Yankees relievers Tommy Kahnle, Jake Cousins and Caleb Ferguson took turns working a scoreless inning to put away the Rays in the opener of a four-game series.
NOTABLE
-- LeMahieu was booed after all of his outs in his 0-for-4 night that has his season average down to .182.
-- Rice has six homers and 19 RBI in his first 25 games, but he’s hitting .217 after 0-for-4 with a walk and three strikeouts.-- Reserve first baseman J.D. Davis was activated from the 10-day injured list after missing six games with stomach flu. A roster spot was cleared after last Sunday’s game when rookie second baseman Jorbit Vivas was optioned back to Triple-A
-- Right-hander Clarke Schmidt will throw a first bullpen Saturday since he went on the IL in late May with a lat strain. His best-case return is early September.
-- Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton ran the bases and took BP on the field before Friday’s game, a first for him since he went on the IL on June 23 with a left hamstring strain. He could begin a short rehab assignment or be activated early next week.
-- Infielder Jon Berti, sidelined since May 25 with a left calf strain, was close to be sent on a rehab assignment until having a minor setback this week. He’s scheduled to get a PRP shot on Saturday, then potentially ramp up his running again next week.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saturday: Rays at Yankees, 1:05 p.m., YES & MLB Network. RHP Taj Bradley (4-4, 2.90) vs. LHP Nestor Cortes (9-7, 3.67).
Sunday: Rays at Yankees, 1:35 p.m., YES. RHP Shane Baz (0-1, 5.23) vs. RHP Marcus Stroman (9-7, 3.51).
Monday: Rays at Yankees, 1:05 p.m., YES & MLB Network. RHP Zack Littell (3-6, 4.26) vs. LHP Carlos Rodon (9-7, 4.63).
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Randy Miller may be reached at [email protected].