The Tampa Bay Rays have owned the Yankees of late. That's not exactly earth shattering news, considering the Rays were 5-1 against the Yankees entering play Tuesday, and had won every series they faced against the Bombers dating back to the end of the 2019 season.
So it was imperative for the Yankees, who have been playing much better baseball the past two weeks to get off to a flying start against their AL East rivals, and who better to lead the charge than Jordan Montgomery.
Montgomery, who gave up eight runs in 11 innings against Tampa Bay this season, had easily his most impressive outing of the year. He held the Rays to just a single run on two hits over six innings, while striking out nine and walking one.
The Rays were 0-for-5 with RISP, and didn't have an extra base hit again after a double by Manuel Margot in the fourth inning. Their only run coming on a Mike Zunino homer in the third inning. That is how dominant Montgomery and the Yankees pen was on Tuesday night.
What was most impressive about Montgomery's start, he dominated with very little run support. Aaron Judge's homer in the first inning gave the Yankees an early 1-0 lead. A passed ball would bring home DJ LeMahieu with the second run of the night for the Bombers in the fourth inning.
Gary Sanchez's homer in the seventh put the game away at 3-1.
With the win, the Yanks have now won three in a row, and stand at a season best three-games over .500 at 19-16. Heck, the Bombers are only two back of the Red Sox in the AL East.
Things are definitely looking up in the Bronx.
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