Didi Gregorius lined out with the bases loaded to end the eighth inning and whipped his bat toward the dugout, a telling sign of frustration for the New York Yankees during a costly 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.
Asdrubal Cabrera hit a two-run single and Kevin Kiermaier had an RBI single as the Rays handed Nathan Eovaldi (14-3) his first loss since mid-June, snapping the right-hander's nine-game winning streak.
Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria left the game with a bruised right forearm, three innings after he was hit by a pitch.
New York, which leads the AL wild-card race, fell 1 1/2 games behind first-place Toronto in the AL East. The Blue Jays beat Baltimore 5-1.
On the fringe of the wild-card chase, the Rays improved to 6-9 against New York this season.
Trailing by one, the Yankees mounted a rally in the eighth after Carlos Beltran lined out to first base for the second out. Chase Headley and rookie Greg Bird singled before pinch-hitter Brian McCann drew a walk from Alex Colome.
With a chance to deliver a huge hit, Gregorius lashed a line drive right at second baseman Logan Forsythe, and the Yankees were denied.
