The Yankees split their four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays after winning 12-4 on Thursday afternoon.

Here are the key takeaways...

-- Following a shutout loss on Wednesday which culminated a rough stretch for New York, the offense finally broke out in a big way with six players having multiple hits, including Ben Rice’s two-homer and five-RBI day.

-- The Yanks scored 12 runs on 14 hits – their biggest inning coming in the third when they put up a six-spot on Rays starter Drew Rasmussen.

-- The onslaught began with a double by Max Schuemann, followed by another double by Ryan McMahon to tie the game at one. After a flyout, Trent Grisham singled home the go-ahead run before Rice hit a two-run shot that just got over the right-field wall.

-- A new rally began immediately following the home run when Jasson Dominguez singled and stole second, Cody Bellinger hit an infield single and Jose Caballero drove in the fifth run of the inning with a third consecutive single that knocked Rasmussen out of the game. Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a sacrifice fly to close out the scoring barrage.

-- Tampa Bay got two runs right back in the bottom half of the inning, but New York tacked on a run in the fourth on Austin Wells solo homer.

-- Despite constant traffic on the basepaths on both sides after that, the scoring settled down until the sixth when Rice made the Rays bullpen pay after reliever Casey Legumina walked Wells and allowed a double to Grisham to start the inning.

On the second pitch of the at-bat, Rice launched a no-doubter to straightaway center field for a three-run bomb for his second of the game and his 28th of the season as he gets ready to participate in his first Home Run Derby over the All-Star Break.

-- New York added a run in the seventh and eighth innings on a double by McMahon that scored Schuemann, who singled and stole second, and then a single by Bellinger following a leadoff walk to Rice and a single by Dominguez.

-- Every hitter except Chisholm had at least one hit. The top four hitters in the order (Grisham, Rice, Dominguez, Bellinger) went 8-for-18 with seven RBI, seven runs scored and two walks. The bottom three in the lineup (Schuemann, McMahon, Wells) went 5-for-13 with three RBI, runs scored and a walk.

-- The offense went 7-for-14 with RISP.

-- In what was a bullpen game for the Yanks, Paul Blackburn got the start and pitched two effective innings, allowing a run on a solo shot by Junior Caminero while striking out three.

-- After that, New York used six relievers: Jake Bird (0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB), Ryan Yarbrough (1.0 IP, 2 H), Camilo Doval (0.2 IP, 1 BB), Brent Headrick (1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 K), Angel Chivilli (2.0 IP, 3 K) and Tim Hill (1 IP, 1 H). Yarbrough got the win.

Game MVP: Ben Rice

His first home run extended the Yanks' lead from one run to three and got things going from there for New York's offense. His second homer was just for good measure and got the Yankees to double-digits in runs for the first time since June 17.

Here are the key takeaways...

Game MVP: Ben Rice

Highlights

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