Looking For a Silver Lining: Rays 4, Yankees 2

About Last Night: Looking For a Silver Lining. Rays 4- Yankees 2

By Tim Kabel

May 23, 2026

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This was the day the Yankees had waited for since the last game of the 2024 season. Gerrit Cole returned to the pitcher’s mound in a Major League game. The last time he pitched for the Yankees was in the 2024 World Series. He had a long road back after his elbow ligament replacement surgery.  

The mentality and sentiment surrounding the Yankees players, management and fans seemed to be that all the Yankees had to do was stay competitive until Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon returned from the IL. Rodon is already back and although he pitched well Thursday against the Blue Jays, he is 0-2 with 4.15 ERA.

First, the good news. Cole was outstanding. He pitched 6 innings of scoreless baseball, allowing two hits while striking out two and walking three. He left the game with the Yankees winning 1-0. (Silver Lining Alert). Unfortunately, the Yankees lost the game. They have lost all four games to the first place Tampa Bay Rays this season. Tampa Bay is 34-15, that's 19 games over 500.

Aaron Judge went 0-4 but hit a game-ending flyout to the center field warning track with the tying run on. (Silver Lining Alert #2). Judge is in a 1-24 slump and his average has dropped to .245. He has gone a career-high 11 games without an RBI.

Jose Caballero's error in the 8th inning led to a four-run outburst by the Rays, which led to their 16th victory in 19 games. I'm willing to bet Dr. Semendinger's house that Anthony Volpe will be the starting shortstop today.

Although the Yankees scored only two runs and lost the game, Aaron Boone, ever the cheery optimist, stated that the Yankees hitters were “swinging the bats really well”. It's true that they did have 11 hits while the Rays only had 8. But again, it's the team that scores the most runs that wins the game. Boone might have missed that point in manager’s school.

As predicted, the overworked bullpen showed signs of fatigue. Brent Headrick replaced Cole in the 7th inning, and after getting the first batter out, he allowed a single and a double. Fernando Cruz had to come in. He struck out the next two batters. Naturally, the way Boone manages, Cruz was only allowed to face those two batters, throwing a total of 8 pitches. Explain to me why Cruz could not have come out for the 8th inning. I don't want to hear Aaron Boone’s explanation. I want to hear something that makes sense. Tim Hill came out to start the 8th inning and gave up all four runs, three of which were earned. Hill has pitched in 24 of the Yankees 52 games this season. In mathematical terms, that's a lot.

The Yankees are now 5 1/2 games behind the Rays in the American League East. This year's Boone-Swoon seems to be well underway.

To borrow and alter a line from West Side Story, “I feel dizzy, oh so dizzy, watching the Yankees play this way.”

A Few Tidbits: 

• Gerrit Cole who stated after the game that it felt as if he was making his second Major League debut, pitched well enough to win. He didn't. That's baseball, Suzyn. 

• The Rays are 16-3 in May and have won 5 games in a row. The Yankees are 10 -11 in May and are 4- 6 in their last 10 games and have lost their last 3 in a row.

• Austin Wells homered for the first time since April 28th in the 5th inning.

• Trent Grisham had his second three-hit game of the season, raising his batting average to .188. Let that rattle around in your head for a minute. After one of his best offensive nights of the season, he improved his batting average to the abysmal .188. Remember, Brian Cashman gave him the qualifying offer of $22 million for this season.

• Despite fulfilling his monthly quota for home runs, Austin Wells is still batting .169 for the season and has a total of 4 home runs and 6 RBI. He should crack double digits in RBI by the All-Star break if all goes well. JC Escarra, who has only played in 18 games and is batting.157, has 7 RBI and 0 home runs. Ryan McMahon was hitless again last night and is batting .187 for the season. All of this adds up to a lot of trouble for the Yankees.

• The Yankees have gone from a record of 26-12 to a record of 30-22. (You can look that up in the dictionary, under Swoon, Boone).

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The Yankees will play the second game of the three-game series against the Rays this afternoon at 1:35 PM at Yankee Stadium. Ryan Weathers, (2-2, 3.58 ERA) will face Drew Rasmussen, (4-1, 3.19 ERA). Weather will determine whether, but not whither, Weathers pitches.