ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — With the way the Yankees offense has been rolling lately, their starting pitchers have typically enjoyed some breathing room during their outings.
Clarke Schmidt had none on Friday and thrived on it.
With just a one-run lead to work with, Schmidt turned in the best start of his career by tossing 6 ²/₃ shutout innings on the way to the Yankees’ 2-0 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field.
Schmidt was on the attack from the start and matched the longest outing of his career — both of them coming here under the dome that often sounds like Yankee Stadium South, as was the case on Friday.
Pitching into the seventh inning for the first time this season, Schmidt avoided the third-time-through-the-order trouble that has cost him at times and kept the Rays (19-20), who had won five of their last six, at bay.
The right-hander allowed just five singles while walking two and striking out six.
Anthony Rizzo, who drove in the Yankees’ first run with a single in the fourth inning, provided an insurance run late when he led off the ninth with a home run.
In relief of Schmidt, Nick Burdi, Luke Weaver and a shaky Clay Holmes shut the door to send the Yankees (26-14) to their sixth win in their last seven games.
Holmes played with fire in the ninth, loading the bases on two walks (doubling his season total) and a single.
But he escaped by striking out Jonny DeLuca to end it.
Through his first seven starts of the season, Schmidt had been the definition of consistent and solid for the Yankees.
He had pitched into the fifth or sixth inning while giving up three or fewer runs each time. But he took his game to the next level on Friday.
Schmidt mostly cruised through the first five innings on an efficient 67 pitches — 21 of which came in the fifth inning when he had to bear down to strand a pair of runners and keep it a 1-0 game.
Then in the sixth, with Nick Burdi warming in the bullpen, Schmidt helped himself out by picking off Randy Arozarena at first base for the second out.
Schmidt had already thrown over once on a close play but then went back a second time and nabbed Arozarena.
One pitch later, the inning was over.
Schmidt walked the leadoff man in the seventh — only his third three-ball count of the night — and then got two outs before handing the ball over to Burdi.
But the threat was quickly extinguished as Jose Trevino threw out his second attempted base stealer of the game.
After Taj Bradley, in his season debut, held the Yankees without a hit their first time through the order, they mounted a rally in the fourth inning.
Aaron Judge drew his second walk of the night before Giancarlo Stanton, with two outs, ripped a 116.4 mph single to left field to put runners on the corners.
Rizzo cashed in on a 1-2 count by taking a 98 mph fastball at the top off the zone to the opposite field for a single that scored Judge for the 1-0 lead.
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