Palacios, Arozarena, Siri, Caballero help Rays overcome Judge’s 35th homer to beat Yankees 6-4

Siri hit a two-run home run off Jake Cousins ​​in the seventh inning, raised both hands at second base and held his right hand to his ear as he rounded third base.

“They boo a lot here,” Siri said through an interpreter. “They even boo their own team. I don’t think that’s good.”

After the Rays took a 5-0 lead, Aaron Judge hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning off Jason Adam, a 444-foot drive to left field. Judge leads the major leagues with 35 homers and 89 RBIs.

Tampa Bay has won two in a row after losing the opening series and has returned to .500 at 50-49 heading into Monday’s final series. The Rays have been at .500 22 times.

“I would love it if we didn’t have a 23rd round pick,” closer Pete Fairbanks said.

New York fell to 9-20 after a 50-22 start. Aaron Boone was ejected before the seventh inning for his protest, his fifth major league ejection this season and the 38th of his career as a manager. Boone was trying to protect a struggling Alex Verdugo, who was upset about a third strike on a pitch that looked low.

New York’s rotation had a major league-leading 2.86 ERA during a 51-24 start through June 18, but has since posted a major league-worst 6.39 ERA. The Yankees allowed 22 runs in the first inning of their first 70 games, but have given up 25 in their last 31.

“We know we’re better than this,” Boone said.

New York hit two double-play grounders for a major-league total of 94, and failed to score before Judge’s home run despite nine of its first 20 batters reaching base. The Yankees were 4 for 28 with runners in scoring position in the first three games of the series, stranding 23 runners.

“Just trying to do too much,” Judge said. “I’ve definitely seen it happen plenty of times where you’re trying to get something going, you’re trying to get the team excited and things like that happen. We just have to do our job, and you don’t get a ball to hit, you just pass it to the next guy.”

After the Yankees failed to capitalize on bases-loaded situations in the first two innings against Shane Baz, left-handed pitcher Garrett Cleavinger (6-2) stepped in with two bases loaded in the fourth, retiring Ben Rice and flying out Juan Soto.

Fairbanks walked Rice in the ninth inning with one out and Soto’s RBI double hit the left-center wall, a catchable ball that Siri lost in the sun.

Judge threw the ball to center with a long foul ball, where Fairbanks shrugged his shoulders to intentionally block the ball, then threw his first pitch to Austin Wells.

“I don’t like it when they tell them at the plate what’s coming, so I’d rather not have it at second base,” Fairbanks said. “I tried to make it as obvious as possible without dropping the ball and kicking it off my foot or doing anything weird, and it actually took longer for everybody to catch it. … I’m not that rhythmic. I think it should have been something they should have caught a little quicker.”

Wells then got a third strike, giving Fairbanks his 18th save in 20 chances.

New York rested two-time batting champion DJ LeMahieu, who batted just .177 and was hitless in 17 at-bats. Verdugo went 0 for 4 and is hitless in 19 at-bats and 1 for his last 28.

Stroman (7-5) has given up three runs — two earned — and three hits in 5 1/3 innings. He has allowed 17 home runs, four shy of his career high.

Baz allowed four hits and five walks in 3 1/3 scoreless innings in his third major league start since returning from Tommy John surgery. He had four swings and misses, down from nine in each of his first two starts.

Palacios hit his first career leadoff home run and Arozarena extended the lead to 2-0 in the fourth inning with his 15th home run of the season, his fifth against the Yankees.

“The fans here are great fans,” Arozarena said through an interpreter. “It gives me a lot more motivation and inspires me a little bit more. I can play with a little bit more pleasure.”

Josh Lowe reached when Gleyber Torres let his grounder bounce off his glove for his 12th error, the most among major league second basemen. Lowe stole second and scored on Caballero’s single.

Caballero hit a homerun in the ninth inning against Luke Weaver.

Rays: LHP Jeffrey Springs (Tommy John surgery in May 2023) allowed two runs, four hits and one walk in a rain-shortened three-inning start for Triple-A Durham on Saturday night. It was his 11th minor league rehab appearance.

Yankees: DH Giancarlo Stanton (left hamstring strain) took batting practice on the field and ran out of the batter’s box. He could be ready to play in a week.

Yankees LHP Carlos Rodón (9-7) will start on Monday afternoon against Tampa Bay’s Zack Littell (3-6).

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb