Schlittler Tosses 8 Dominant Innings as Yankees Top Rays 5-1
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- Cam Schlittler pitched eight innings for the second time this season, striking out eight while allowing four hits and no walks, and improving to 9-5 as the Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-1 at Tropicana Field on Monday night.
- Schlittler told YES Network he took the mound "with a chip on his shoulder" and called the start "personal" after a 9-3 loss to Detroit last Tuesday in which he allowed seven hits and six earned runs in just four innings.
- Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he "wasn't surprised" by the bounce-back, calling his starter "great," "dominant," and "efficient" in a 101-pitch outing that featured 72 strikes.
- Jose Caballero, a former Ray, homered twice to provide the offensive cushion for Schlittler, with Boone noting it was the longest start by the right-hander since April 23 against Boston.
- The win moved New York within three games of the first-place Rays in the AL East, after the Yankees had lost nine of 10 and were coming off a series loss to the Minnesota Twins.
- Schlittler said the Yankees had "dug ourselves in a hole a little bit," making Monday's opener a chance to "shake things up" against the division leaders.
Why it matters: Schlittler's longest outing since April gave the Yankees exactly the kind of start they needed entering a critical four-game series against the team they now trail by three games in the AL East, and Caballero's two homers provided rare offensive support during a stretch where New York had lost nine of 10.
