Yankees split Rays doubleheader after Rodón shutout and Tampa Bay rebound

New York and Tampa Bay split Tuesday's doubleheader at Yankee Stadium, with the Yankees taking the opener 2-0 before the Rays answered 6-1 in the night game. The teams traded shutouts through the first seven innings of the day, then Tampa Bay broke the second game open with four runs in the first three innings.

Carlos Rodón set the tone in Game 1. The left-hander threw eight scoreless innings, allowed three hits and struck out eight without walking a batter. David Bednar finished the shutout in the ninth. Cody Bellinger supplied the only scoring with a two-run homer in the fourth that brought Ben Rice home. Tampa Bay managed three hits and never moved a runner past second against Rodón.

The Rays changed the shape of the nightcap immediately. Taylor Walls scored on Ryan Vilade's groundout in the first, and Walls then singled home Chandler Simpson in the third. Yandy Díaz followed with a two-run single that scored Ben Williamson and Walls, putting Tampa Bay ahead 4-0. Díaz added another RBI single in the eighth, scoring Walls and Cedric Mullins, and finished 2-for-5 with four RBIs. Walls went 3-for-4 with three runs and an RBI.

Drew Rasmussen carried Tampa Bay through the long game, striking out 11 in 6 2/3 innings. He allowed one run on one hit, with the Yankees' only run coming when Heliot Ramos scored on George Lombard Jr.'s fourth-inning single. Fried allowed four runs in 6 2/3 innings and took the loss. New York managed three hits in the nightcap and went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.

The split left both clubs with a useful answer and a clear unfinished problem. Rodón's eight-inning shutout gave New York a dominant start, while the Rays countered with enough contact and traffic to force Fried into long at-bats and turn the nightcap into a one-sided game. The teams continue the series Wednesday.