TAMPA, Fla. (Interstat) — On a night when the New York Yankees’ offense was largely silenced, the Tampa Bay Rays capitalized on timely hitting and a stellar start from Steven Matz to secure a 5-3 victory on Friday at George Steinbrenner Field.

The win, witnessed by a crowd of 20,511, improved the Rays to 6-7 on the young season, while the Yankees fell to 8-5, dropping their third consecutive contest after being swept at home by Oakland.

The game’s most critical sequence unfolded in the bottom of the sixth inning, transforming a 3-3 deadlock into the decisive Tampa Bay lead. With reliever Brent Headrick on for the Yankees, Ben Williamson led off with a double and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Taylor Walls that became a two-base error on Headrick. After a strikeout, Chandler Simpson delivered the go-ahead run with a sharp single to center, scoring Williamson. Junior Caminero followed with a single to load the bases, and Jonathan Aranda’s productive groundout to second brought home Walls with an insurance run. That two-run frame proved insurmountable for a Yankees lineup that managed only five hits total.

The contest began with a burst of early offense from both sides. The Yankees struck quickly against Matz in the first. After Aaron Judge singled, Cody Bellinger brought him home with a sacrifice fly. Amed Rosario later tripled to drive in Giancarlo Stanton, who had walked, giving New York an early 2-0 advantage.

Matz, however, settled in impressively after the rocky start. The Rays’ left-hander stifled the Yankees over his final four innings, finishing with a line of five innings pitched, two hits, two earned runs, and seven strikeouts to earn his third win against no losses. His recent run of strong performances continued, having allowed just two hits over six innings in his previous start.

Tampa Bay answered immediately in the bottom of the first against Yankees starter Luis Gil. Following two quick outs, Yandy Díaz launched a two-run homer to right-center field, scoring Jonathan Aranda and instantly erasing the New York lead. Díaz finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, providing the offensive anchor for the Rays.

The Rays took their first lead in the second. Taylor Walls was hit by a pitch, moved to third on a Nick Fortes single, and scored on a Chandler Simpson fielder’s choice grounder, making it 3-2. The Yankees drew even in the eighth on a solo home run by pinch-hitter Ben Rice, his fourth of the year, but could muster no further rally.

The Yankees threatened in the ninth against Rays closer Bryan Baker. Stanton and Rosario led off with back-to-back singles, bringing the tying run to the plate. After a successful challenge turned a potential double play into a fielder’s choice, leaving runners at the corners with one out, Baker bore down. He struck out Randal Grichuk swinging and induced a game-ending popout from pinch-hitter Trent Grisham to secure his second save of the season.

Gil took the loss for New York, falling to 0-1 after allowing three runs on three hits over four innings. The Yankees’ bullpen, aside from the pivotal sixth inning, was effective. Ryan Yarbrough provided two scoreless innings of relief, and Jake Bird and Camilo Doval also worked out of jams without allowing a run.

The result defied pregame projections from Interstat, which gave the Yankees a 59% probability to win and projected a 7-5 final score in their favor. The combined eight runs also went over the posted over/under line of 8.5.

The two teams continue their three-game series on Saturday. The Yankees will look to snap their skid before returning home to face the Los Angeles Angels next week. The Rays, having won the series opener, will aim for a series win before embarking on a road trip to Chicago and Pittsburgh.