Erasmo Ramirez pitched out of early trouble in his latest effective outing against the New York Yankees, and the Tampa Bay Rays took advantage of some shoddy defense for an 8-1 victory Sunday that snapped their longest losing streak of the season at seven games.
James Loney and Logan Forsythe each had a two-run single for the Rays, who had dropped 11 of 13 while falling out of first place in the AL East. They salvaged the finale of a frustrating series at Yankee Stadium that included walk-off defeats in the first two games.
Alex Rodriguez hit his 670th home run, the only damage against Ramirez (7-3) in six innings. Yankees hitters entered 2 for 27 (.074) against the right-hander this year and didn't fare much better.
About the only bad news for the Rays all afternoon came in a four-run eighth, when rookie outfielder Steven Souza Jr. was hit by a pitch on the right hand. He remained in the game initially, but was removed in the bottom half.
