ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Yankees left Game 1 with more damage than a 1-0 score suggests.
Drew Rasmussen carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning Saturday before Austin Wells doubled with two outs, then was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple. The Yankees struck out 12 times. Rasmussen earned the win. Gerrit Cole took the loss after allowing Jonathan Aranda’s solo homer over five innings. Bryan Baker closed it for the save.
The series math now turns harsh. Teams that lose Game 1 of a best-of-five postseason series have recovered 44 times in 160 tries. Teams that fall behind 0-2 have survived just 10 of 91 times. Monday is not an elimination game, but the Yankees know what another loss would mean.
“You’ve just got to keep going,” Ben Rice said. “That’s all you can do.”
New York spent Sunday resting or using its player development complex in Tampa. At the Trop, 40,542 filled seats the Rays usually tarp off, and the home crowd challenged assumptions that Yankees fans would dominate.
Monday’s other problem is Freddy Peralta. The right-hander has won his last five decisions and on Sept. 25 threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings against Philadelphia. Since joining Tampa Bay, he has finished with a 0.79 ERA over his final six starts and a 1.69 ERA in four home starts.
He faced the Yankees once this year while pitching for the Mets. Peralta allowed three runs on two hits over five innings, walked six and struck out four. Rice homered off his changeup. Peralta is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in two career starts against New York.
Kevin Cash said Peralta’s turnaround reflects the pitcher Tampa Bay expected.
The Yankees’ weapon arrives after the damage
The biggest change in Game 2 is who the Yankees hand the ball to.
Cam Schlittler is ready with earlier Rays dominace formula and a new October pitch.
He went 14-6 with an AL-best 1.95 ERA in 33 starts and posted a 1.16 road ERA across 17 outings. Against Tampa Bay, he had a 2.81 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 16 innings over three starts. On July 6 at the Trop, he allowed one run over eight innings with eight strikeouts and no walks.
Schlittler also struck out 10 over 6 1/3 scoreless innings in the Yankees’ 9-0 Wild Card win over Boston.
Gerrit Cole made clear how much trust the Yankees have in him.
“We have a ton of confidence in Cam,” Cole said. “Cam’s been super competitive every single time he’s taken the ball for a couple of years now, regardless of the situation.”
Wells put it even more simply.
“He’s been our guy all year,” Wells said.
Boone has several lineup levers against Peralta
Left-handed hitters posted a .757 OPS against Peralta this season, compared with .688 for righties, though his career splits run slightly the other way. Cody Bellinger owns a 1.270 OPS in 18 career plate appearances against him. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is at .945 in 15. Paul Goldschmidt has an .877 OPS in 38 plate appearances with two homers and five doubles.
Luis García Jr. is 3-for-12 with two doubles. Ryan McMahon is just 1-for-14, which could open the door for Anthony Volpe or José Caballero at third base despite their limited experience against Peralta.
Bellinger, Chisholm and Goldschmidt give Boone 71 combined plate appearances against Peralta with each carrying an OPS of at least .877. That is a meaningful pocket of familiarity against a pitcher who looks different from his Mets version.
Cash defended Peralta’s track record Sunday.
“I don’t want anybody to lose sight that Freddy Peralta has been an elite pitcher for a long time,” Cash said.
Tampa Bay’s pressure game meets Schlittler’s best trait
Junior Caminero is 4-for-14 with one homer against Schlittler. Yandy Díaz owns a .421 OPS in 15 plate appearances, while Chandler Simpson is at .571 in 14.
Schlittler has said Tampa Bay mixes power at the top with scrappy hitters lower down, creating pressure through contact and baserunning. His answer is to limit long counts and free bases. He is willing to trade strikeouts for weak contact and quick outs.
That approach matters after the atmosphere in Game 1. Schlittler had said Tropicana Field can feel “kind of” like home because so many Yankees fans often attend. Instead, Rays supporters controlled much of the noise.
Kevin Cash said he had rarely seen the building that full. Boone acknowledged it, too.
“It was loud, it felt like a playoff game,” Boone said Sunday.
One night can rewrite the series again
The Yankees know Game 1 cannot be recovered. Boone called Wells’ attempt to take third “obviously not a good decision,” and the offense managed only one hit.
Tampa Bay also scored only once. New York’s pitching kept the opener within one swing all night.
Cole called Game 2 an opportunity to bounce back and said postseason teams have to absorb blows as well as deliver them. Boone’s message was similar: October wins bring relief, losses are gut punches, and teams have to keep moving.
A Yankees win Monday would send the series to the Bronx tied 1-1, with Games 3 and, if needed, 4 at Yankee Stadium.
Saturday belonged to Tampa Bay. One strong Schlittler start and a few better swings could change the entire feel of the ALDS overnight.
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