ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — As usual for a team hitting home runs at a record pace this season, it was the long ball that decided the Yankees’ game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.
The problem for the Yankees, though, is that they did not hit any — not Wednesday, and not at all in this three-game series. And after a 3-2 loss at Tropicana Field, they were headed home having lost two of three in the series after being swept by the Rays the last time they faced them on the road.
“Get out of Tampa,” Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner said succinctly in a somber clubhouse moment after he struck out to end the game.