The Tampa Bay Rays made a second-inning RBI double by Anthony Bemboom hold up Wednesday, as seven pitchers combined to throw a seven-hit shutout, with the Rays completing a two-game sweep with a 1-0 victory over the Miami Marlins.
Bemboom's double, which followed a walk to Willy Adames by Jose Urena, was Bemboom's first big league hit and RBI.
The catcher would add another base hit in the fifth, a single, but left the game in the seventh with what the team has called a left knee sprain and he will be the third Tampa Bay catcher to go on the injured list.
Ryne Stanek worked around a leadoff walk to Curtis Granderson, but put up a zero in the first, and Jalen Beeks allowed four hits, but also struck out four in three innings of work to earn the victory.
The Rays had more opportunities to add on, but saw Yandy Diaz roll his ankle rounding third base when trying to stop short and getting tagged out to end the sixth, and Austin Meadows was tagged out at the plate as part of a double steal attempt an inning later.
Luckily for Tampa Bay the pitching would not break, though there were plenty of times that it certainly bent. Emilio Pagan worked out of a second and third with nobody out jam by striking out Jon Berti, getting Rosell Herrera to pop out and striking out pinch-hitter Martin Prado to get out of the inning. Chaz Roe allowed a two-out ground-rule double to Jorge Alfaro in the eighth on a ball that Austin Meadows appeared to have a bead on before watching it hit the warning track and bound over the wall, then balked him to third base, but got Berti to pop out to Ji-Man Choi in foul territory to get off the hook, and Diego Castillo walked pinch-hitter Harold Ramirez with one out in the ninth before finishing off the contest for his fifth save.
The win ensures that Tampa Bay will head into their weekend series in the Bronx in first place, one game in the loss column ahead of the Yankees.
FRIDAY'S MATCHUP
Tampa Bay Rays (26-15) at New York Yankees (26-16), 7:05 pm first pitch, with coverage on WDAE beginning at 6:00 with The Inside Pitch.
Rays starter: TBA
Yankees starter: LHP CC Sabathia (2-1, 3.26 ERA)