Ji-Man Choi had a big night Monday, including a first-inning two-run homer off Gerrit Cole.

Tyler Glasnow followed his 13 strikeout gem a start ago against Baltimore by spinning another fantastic start, while the offense tagged Gerrit Cole for four runs en route to the Tampa Bay Rays sixth consecutive win, 5-3 over the New York Yankees.

The Rays walked out of New Yankee Stadium a season-high 14 games over .500, and 4-1/2 games ahead of New York in the AL East.

Glasnow got the start posted six innings of scoreless ball against New York, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out nine on 87 pitches (55 strikes, 63% strike rate). The right-hander kept the Yankees’ offense off-balance for most of the night by leaning on all three of his pitches. He threw his 97 mph four-seam fastball 55 times, his curveball 24 times (nine swings and misses, 16% SwStr%) — eight at-bats ended on the curveball, resulting in seven K’s and a groundout — and eight 92 mph changeups which he threw to whomever regardless of handedness. All told, New York hit just four hard-hit balls against Glasnow.

I just feel like every time he gets on the mound, especially his last couple starts, he’s figured something out — I’m playing behind greatness out there. I am.

Watching what he does and how silly he makes guys look every inning he’s out there, it’s incredible.

— Kevin Kiermaier

Offensively, the Rays pounced on Cole’s mistakes which proved costly for the +$300-million man, as his time on the mound was limited to just five innings and an incredibly inefficient 103 pitches.

In the first inning, after the right-hander retired the first two batters, Yandy Diaz lined a single off the wall in right then went to second when Clint Frazier bobbled the ball for an error. Ji-Man Choi — who entered play 7-15 against Cole with three doubles and two home runs — lined a 1-2 slider into the seats in right for a two-run homer.

One inning later, Kevin Kiermaier unleashed his second homer in as many days, this time a 411-foot blast to right that registered 110 mph off his bat.

The Rays added on a run in the fifth inning. Choi walked to lead off the frame before Willy Adames singled to left. Joey Wendle was hit on the foot by a 95 mph 0-2 fastball, loading the bases and bringing Manuel Margot to the plate. The outfielder singled to center, putting Tampa Bay up by four. Yet, Adames was held up by Rodney Linares at third, while Wendle was thrown out between second and third when centerfielder Brett Gardner lucked out and accidentally threw the ball in behind him. That stopped the Rays from tacking on more in the frame.

But after chasing Cole in the fifth, the Rays added one more run an inning later. Reliever Nick Nelson took over for Cole in the sixth, and Choi singled home Randy Arozarena, who initially reached base a single before he swiped second.

The beleaguered hackneyed Yankees crew were not completely silent though, and they were able to rally against relative newcomer Edgar Garcia late in the game.

In the seventh inning, Gio Urshela hit a leadoff homer to right, drawing the Yankees within four. An inning later, DJ LeMahieu looped a single to right before Luke Voit drilled a 3-1, two-run bullet to left, cutting the deficit to two. Kevin Cash had seen enough from the former Phillie and called upon Pete Fairbanks, who gave up a one-out single to Clint Frazier but nothing more.

Finally, in the ninth inning, Cash went with Diego Castillo to close things out for the fourth time this season. Aaron Hicks collected a one-out pinch-hit single against the shift, however, Gardner embarrassed himself went down swinging on three pitches, including a nasty slider that cut off the plate and in on him. LeMahieu ended the game on a chopped comebacker, earning Castillo his third save in four attempts.

The New What Next

Game two of the set will take place Tuesday with Masahiro Tanaka (0-1, 3.48 ERA) on the mound for New York. Trevor Richards (0-0, 5.14 ERA) will get the start for Tampa Bay.

Trevor Richards allowed two runs (one earned) over 4-1/3 innings in a 4–3 win over Baltimore onAugust 26th. He struck out three on 86 total pitches. This is the third time that Richards is facing New York. He gave up two runs across three innings the last time he faced them. Richards hasn’t pitched more than 4-1/3 innings in an outing this year, but an efficient outing could certainly get him through five frames.

Masahiro Tanaka allowed three hits and no walks while fanning four across five scoreless innings on Wednesday in Atlanta. Tanaka was dominant, allowing just a trio of base hits in his time on the mound. Tanaka was pulled after only 66 pitches as he felt he was running out of energy. Tanaka has completed five innings of work in only two of his five starts this season, although they have been high quality. The Rays dusted Tanaka up back on August 18, tagging the right-hander for six runs (five earned) on eight hits including two homers. He now maintains a 3.48 ERA with a 5.67:1 K:BB across 20-2/3 frames this season. Key Matchups: Michael Brosseau (2-3, 2 2B), Kevin Kiermaier (11-37, 2 2B, 2 3B, HR), Austin Meadows (5-15, 2 HR), Micahel Perez (1-4), Joey Wendle (4-14, 2 2B)

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

Rays 9/1/20 Starting Lineup

  1. Choi 1B
  2. B. Lowe 2B
  3. Wendle 3B
  4. Meadows RF
  5. Tsutsugo DH
  6. Adames SS
  7. Kiermaier CF
  8. Margot LF
  9. Perez C

Noteworthiness

— Both Yandy Diaz and Ji-Man Choi left Monday night’s game. Choi left because of stomach issues, while Diaz left midway through the game with right hamstring tightness. After an MRI in New York this morning, Diaz was diagnosed with a right hamstring strain and consequently placed on the 10-day IL. Nate Lowe, who was on the taxi squad, has been added to the roster.

— The Rays announced that their 2019 top draft pick, Greg Jones, has been added to the 60-man player pool and has reported to the alternate site. He joins Brendan McKay and Brent Honeywell Jr. as the most recent additions to the 60-man player pool.

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