Cobb, Rays hold down Yankees
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Rays received a strong outing from Alex Cobb and got enough offense early to pull out a 4-1 win over the New York Yankees on Wednesday at Tropicana Field, taking two of three games in the season-opening series.
Cobb (1-0), making his way back from 2015 Tommy John surgery, held the Yankees to four hits and one run in 5 2/3 innings, striking out four and continuing his strong personal success against the Yankees.
New York starter Michael Pineda (0-1) gave up five hits in the second inning, allowing the Rays to take control of a 1-1 game, and neither team scored after the second inning.
The Yankees (1-2) now get their second day off in four days before opening a three-game series at Baltimore. The Rays (2-1) stay home to open a four-game series against Toronto on Thursday night.
The big hits came from the top and bottom of the Rays' lineup -- Corey Dickerson led off the first with a home run and added an RBI single in the second, with No. 9 hitter Derek Norris bringing in the other runs with a two-out single in the second. Tampa Bay's bullpen threw 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, with Alex Colome pitching the ninth for his second save of the season.
The Yankees got the leadoff man in the ninth when Jacoby Ellsbury singled off Colome's glove, but Starlin Castro grounded into a double play. Chase Headley, continuing a strong start to his season, also singled off Colome's glove, but Aaron Judge popped out to center to end the game.
For the second time in three games, the Rays jumped on a Yankees right-handed starter, tagging Pineda for three runs on five singles in the second inning for a 4-1 lead.
The two teams traded solo home runs early, with Dickerson leading off the bottom of the first with his first of the season and New York's Ellsbury answering in the top of the second to tie the game at 1-1.
The Rays struck back in the bottom of the second, however, with Steven Souza leading off with a single and Logan Morrison following with a single that caromed off one of the stadium's catwalks. The Yankees got an out at the plate after a wild pitch put runners at second and third, but with two outs, Norris ripped a two-run single that took a bounce past second baseman Castro's glove for a 3-1 lead.
Norris stole second base -- the first steal by a Rays catcher since Ryan Hanigan in September 2014 -- and the move paid off as he then scored on an RBI single by Dickerson to make it 4-1.
Cobb, who had an 8.59 ERA last season in limited work, pitched well in his season debut, holding the Yankees to one run on three hits in the first five innings while striking out four batters.
Pineda lasted only 3 2/3 frames, giving up eight hits and four runs while striking out six batters.
Tampa Bay took an early lead in Sunday's opener off Yankees righty Masahiro Tanaka but managed little offense in a 5-0 loss Tuesday against left-hander CC Sabathia.
NOTES: INF/OF Nick Franklin, designated for assignment by the Rays on Saturday, was claimed Wednesday by the Milwaukee Brewers. ... Tuesday's 5-0 Yankees' win marked the first time in Rays' history that they were shut out by six or more pitchers in a nine-inning game. It's just the third time in Yankees history they've used six or more pitchers in a nine-inning shutout ... The Rays are now 69-64 against the Yankees since the start of 2010 -- the only American League team with a winning record against New York in that span -- and 69-133 in their first 12 seasons from 1998-2009. ... Despite the 1-2 record, the Yankees have gotten strong pitching from their bullpen, with 13 2/3 innings of scoreless relief over the three games. RHP Adam Warren had 2 1/3 innings Wednesday, after getting 2 1/3 scoreless innings in Sunday's loss.