Carlos Rodon pitched seven dominating innings and the New York Yankees tied a season high by hitting five homers to beat the visiting Tampa Bay Rays 9-1 on Monday afternoon for a split of the four-game series.
The Yankees improved to 10-20 in their past 30 games since getting off to a 50-22 start thanks to Rodon’s best showing since his previous win on June 10 at Kansas City.
Rodon (10-7) entered with an 0-5 record and a 9.67 ERA in his previous six starts but allowed two hits and two walks and struck out 10 while matching his longest outing of the season. He did not allow a hit until Jose Siri homered into the right field seats with one out in the fifth.
After Siri homered, Rodon struck out Jose Caballero and Jonny DeLuca and finished his outing with two more strikeouts in the seventh.
Austin Wells (3-for-5) and Anthony Volpe hit back-to-back homers off Zack Littell (3-7). DJ LeMahieu also homered to snap an 0-for-18 slump and Juan Soto (3-for-5, four RBIs) went deep in the seventh inning and eighth innings. Oswaldo Cabrera added a two-run single for the Yankees, who collected 15 hits.
Wells hit a 1-1 slider into the right field seats for his seventh homer to open the scoring in the second. Volpe followed by hitting an 0-1 slider to left field for his first homer since May 16.
It was the third time this season the Yankees hit back-to-back homers.
LeMahieu, who entered the game hitting .177, gave the Yankees a 5-1 lead in the fifth by hitting Littell’s 0-1 sweeper to left field. It was LeMahieu’s first homer since Sept. 5 and came a day after the Yankees rested the two-time batting champion.
Soto padded the lead by hitting his 24th homer in the seventh and then got his 21st career multi-homer game in the eighth.
Littell allowed five runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings. A former Yankee minor leaguer, Littell struck out six, walked two and tied a career worst by allowing
three homers.