ST. PETERSBURG – Cam Schlittler steadied his outing after a loud beginning on Sunday, but the right-hander didn’t have much time to enjoy it – not with Drew Rasmussen making swift work of the Yankees’ lineup.
Making his fourth start of the season, Schlittler struck out eight Rays at Tropicana Field, permitting three runs on seven hits and one walk over five innings in New York’s 5-4 loss.
But Schlittler was outpitched by Rasmussen, who held the Yanks to one hit – Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s second-inning double – over six scoreless innings in his return from the paternity list.
Yandy Díaz, Richie Palacios and Chandler Simpson drove in runs against Schlittler, whose ERA inflated to 2.49 from 1.62.
The start featured Schlittler’s first walk of the season, issued to Díaz in the third inning. Schlittler had faced 70 batters this year before the free pass.