ST. PETERSBURG -- It doesn’t get much better than what James Paxton brought to the table on Sunday afternoon.

The Yankees left-hander struck out 11 Rays during the first-half finale at Tropicana Field, his most since back-to-back 12-K outings in mid-April. He scattered seven hits, didn’t walk a batter and held Tampa Bay scoreless after the first inning.

He also deserved a much better fate during the Yankees’ 2-1 loss to Tampa Bay, but New York was only able to muster a Brett Gardner homer in the final game of the four-game set, which the two clubs split. The Yankees continue to control the American League East despite the loss, with a 6 1/2-game lead over the Rays.

• Box score

“We’re in a good spot,” Aaron Judge said. “We’re in first place, and it’s our goal to win our division, first off, so to be in first place at the break is a start.

“We’ve just got to have guys rest up, let guys enjoy the All-Star Game and then get ready to make something happen.”

Paxton took a moment to gain his footing in the first inning, and that ended up being the difference in the game. Tampa Bay opened the contest with consecutive doubles -- the second of which would have been a single had there been someone covering second base for center fielder Aaron Hicks to throw the ball to -- and then added a third consecutive hit with a single.

With runners at the corners, Avisail Garcia’s groundout scored the runner from third -- who should’ve been at second -- before Paxton locked in to fan the next two Rays. Once he got a taste of the day, Paxton slashed through the Rays’ lineup with relative ease, completing his fourth game of the season with 20 or more swings-and-misses.

Paxton peaked in his final inning by striking out three consecutive batters after a double and a single to open the frame put runners on the corners. He punctuated his rise with his last two pitches, which hit 98.2 and 96.9 mph on the radar gun, and pounded his glove emphatically after the final strikeout, issuing a triumphant roar on the way to the dugout.

“The first few batters there, I gave up some hits, unfortunately some runs that we couldn’t overcome today,” Paxton said. “I think after that, I settled in and threw the ball pretty well. Probably the best stuff I’ve had in the last little bit, so that was encouraging going into the second half.”

Unfortunately, the first-inning defensive gaffe was a small mistake magnified by the fact that Rays starter Charlie Morton doled out much of the same treatment to the Yankees as Paxton did to the Rays. The Tampa Bay right-hander fanned 10, gave up five hits, walked one and allowed just Gardner’s homer in the second during his 5 2/3 innings.

The Yankees’ Nos. 1-5 hitters finished 1-for-19 with 11 strikeouts.

“Obviously, [Morton] is about as tough as you’re going to come up against,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “We had a good opportunity in one inning … and we’re not able to score, and not able to really mount much the rest of the way. That’s going to happen sometimes against these guys. Frustrating, but also it’s a part of it.”

Gardner’s shot marked his third home run in as many games and his 15th of the season, already just six shy of his career high set in 2017.

He added a two-out double in the fourth inning and finished with a .467 batting average (7-for-15) for the series that included three homers, five RBIs and a pair of stolen bases. At 106.7 and 106.5 mph, per Statcast, Gardner’s two extra-base hits on Sunday were the hardest-hit balls of the afternoon, and also traveled the farthest.

“Some days, some weeks, I’m pretty good, and other times, I feel kind of lost out there,” Gardner said. “Recently, I’ve obviously been doing better. I’ll just sit down over the break and take things in, evaluate a little bit, look at some video and keep it going.”

Gardner has 10 home runs against Tampa Bay since 2016, his most against any team during that stretch.

Morton was pulled just prior to Gardner’s third at-bat and for good reason: The Yankees outfielder is 8-for-18 with three homers in his career against the righty, including the postseason. The strategy worked, as Gardner grounded out harmlessly facing lefty Adam Kolarek to end the sixth inning.

New York didn’t threaten again, but Paxton said that doesn’t mean the Yankees are no longer a threat.

“It was a solid first half,” said Paxton. “We overcame some injuries and played really good baseball. We have a good lead on the AL East right now, and we’re going to come back on a mission to go to the postseason and win the World Series.”