Masahiro Tanaka continued to be lights out for the Yankees, allowing just two hits while cruising through seven scoreless innings on just 82 pitches. New York is now 7-3 in games started by Tanaka this season.

Offensively, the Yankees used a three-run sixth inning, keyed by a two-run home run from Alex Rodriguez, to take a 3-0 lead. Carlos Beltran added insurance for the Yankees with an eighth inning solo shot, his second home run of the week, to make it 4-0.

Kirby Yates allowed a solo homer to Steve Pearce with two outs in the ninth, but Aroldis Chapman came in to cement the 4-1 win for the Yankees.

THE PLAY: A-Rod’s two-run blast in the 6th (+.216 WPA)

In just his second game back from injury, Alex Rodriguez blasted a two-run home run to center field, scoring Brian McCann to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead in the sixth inning. The home run was Rodriguez’s sixth of the season.

TOP PERFORMERS

Yankees: Masahiro Tanaka (7 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 4 K, 0 BB)

Rays: Chris Archer (8 IP, 4 R (1 ER), 7 K, 3 BB, 2 HR)

NOTES

– Masahiro Tanaka didn’t allow his first hit until the bottom of the fifth when Steve Pearce led off with a single to center field.

– A-Rod’s sixth inning home run was the 693rd homer of his career, moving him closer to the vaunted 700 home run club.

– Jacoby Ellsbury is now 18-for-28 (.643) in his career against Chris Archer with a 2-for-4 performance tonight.

THE HIGHLIGHT: Starlin Castro’s spectacular play up the middle

UP NEXT

The Yankees (23-24) look to get to .500 with a win over Tampa Bay in game two of this series on Saturday afternoon at 4:10 pm. Michael Pineda (2-5, 6.34) takes the mound for New York while Matt Moore (1-3, 5.47) goes for the Rays in a battle of struggling righties. The game will be televised on WPIX 11.

Photo: Kim Klement / USATSI; Video: MLBAM

Chad Green made his major league debut on the mound for the Yankees, and was pitching just fine until a three-run home run by Jake Lamb in the fifth inning spoiled the evening. Lamb’s blast to right-center field broke a 2-2 tie, giving the D-Backs a 5-2 lead en route to a 12-2 victory over New York.

Arizona’s Robbie Ray pitched seven innings of two-run ball, scattering six hits while striking out six Yankees in the process.

Aaron Hicks had two deep fly-outs to the warning track, one to center (4th inning) and one to left (6th inning) before ripping a single up the middle in the ninth. The 4th inning fly-out proved productive as it advanced Beltran to third and Headley to second with just one out. Three hard-hit balls on the night could be a sign Hicks is seeing the ball better after a 2-for-30 (.067) start to the 2016 campaign.

With the loss, the Yankees fall to 4-11 on the road this season, the third-worst road mark in MLB behind Minnesota (4-17) and Cincinnati (3-13).

THE PLAY: Jake Lamb’s 3-run home run to make it 5-2 in the fifth (+.205 WPA)

TOP PERFORMERS

Yankees: Mark Teixeira (3-for-4, 1 run scored)

D-Backs: Robbie Ray (7 IP, 6 hits, 2 earned runs, 6 Ks, 1 BB)

NOTES

– Didi Gregorius went 1-for-4 with an error in his Arizona homecoming after playing 183 games for the D-Backs between 2013–14.

– Chad Green’s final line in his debut: 4 IP, 8 hits, 6 runs (4 earned), 5 Ks, 1 BB, 2 home runs; 79 pitchers, 46 strikes

– Paul Goldschmidt officially welcomed Green to the bigs with a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning, his eighth of the season.

THE HIGHLIGHT: Ellsbury’s triple + error to score and tie it at 2-2

UP NEXT

Tuesday night’s game two match-up features Michael Pineda (1-4, 6.28) against Zack Greinke (3-3, 5.26) in a battle of two under-performing pitchers. Greinke is 2-4 with a 5.92 ERA in 12 career games against the Yankees, his worst mark against any major league team. Meanwhile, the Yankees will once again be in dire need of offense after scoring just three runs in their last three road games.

Photo: Joe Camporeale / USA Today Sports; Video: MLBAM