Yankees lights out performance grasps series from the Rays

The Yankees closed out the series with some lights out stuff. Despite a 45-minute power outage, the Yanks held on for a 7-1 victory.

This Mother’s Day win allowed the Yankees to take 2-of-3 from the Rays, bringing the Yanks to within half a game of first place in the AL East.

Hobbling into St. Petersburg, a shell of the team they have been — how would the Bombers fare against the red-hot Rays?

Many wondered how the injury-laden Yanks would do against 2018 AL Cy Young Winner Blake Snell. But it was the Rays that were only able to hit a single home run.

Sunday’s starter Masahiro Tanaka wasn’t given much thought. But Tanaka’s consistency outlasted Snell’s panache.

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Tanaka threw just 73 pitches through seven innings. He had seven strikeouts, allowed five hits, one dinger and zero walks. Conversely, Snell threw 40 pitches in the fourth inning alone.

Rays slugger Austin Meadows came away ultra impressed by Masa, as told to Dawn Klmeish of MLB.com.

“[Tanaka] was good, man,” said Rays DH Austin Meadows. “The slider in the corner, the fastball, everything was working for him today, and he was definitely really good.”

After the power to Tropicana Field was restored, the Yanks brought their own electricity by scoring four runs in the ninth inning. The Bombers were boosted by Gio Urshela’s two-run double, Thairo Estrada’s home run and Brett Gardner’s sac fly.

Even Tanaka’s relief, Zack Britton, showed some spark. After giving up consecutive singles and a wild pitch, Britton dug deep and retired Ji-Man Choi and Yandy Diaz. The threat was neutralized.

The Yankees are displaying a tenacity that cannot be ignored. The series performance shows that the depth of the talent pool is responsible for the wins instead of just luck. Perhaps the old Rays slogan “Heart and Hustle” should be applied to the Yanks this year.