ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Rays starter Nathan Karns' first nine pitches were all balls Wednesday night that resulted in two walks and a 2-0 lead for the New York Yankees.

But from then on, the Rays were in control, rallying back behind a strong bullpen for a 3-2 win over the Yankees at Tropicana Field.

"I don't know how many times you see your starting pitcher come out and throw 9-10 straight balls to lead off the game, but to his credit, he settled back in and gave us five strong innings," said Rays manager Kevin Cash, whose team improved to 19-16.

The Yankees (21-14), who hadn't lost two straight games since April 14-15, saw much the same story as Tuesday, when Rays starter Chris Archer threw 32 pitches in the first inning, then settled in under control for a 4-2 win.

Karns threw 29 pitches in the first inning and 20 in a wobbly second but lasted five innings, with four relievers combining for six strikeouts in four shutout innings.

"I just kind of took one out of his book and do my best to duplicate that," Karns said. "I got a nice cheer from the crowd when I got that first (strike) in, so that was nice."

The Yankees, who had two hits with runners in scoring position in the first, went 1-for-5 the rest of the way, stranding 10 runners on a frustrating night at the plate.

"(Karns) was wild early and then he settled down. He found the strike zone," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "That was the difference in his story. We got the two free passes and then a couple of base hits, and then we weren't able to do much after that."

The game shifted on two plays at the plate -- Rays shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera made a smart read on a bloop single to score the winning run from second base in the second inning, and Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira was thrown out by center fielder Kevin Kiermaier for the final out the fifth.

The Yankees called for a review, checking if Rays catcher Bobby Wilson was blocking the plate, but the call was upheld.

"It looked like the throw kind of took him into the line. You take a shot," Girardi said. "I think there's more confusion (with rules at the plate) on the base runners' part than the catchers' part. I think the catchers continue to do just what they've always done."

Brad Boxberger working a perfect ninth for his 10th save in as many opportunities this season. Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez struck out to end the game.

The game drew an announced crowd of 11,924, with the last three games ranking as the three smallest crowds ever for Rays-Yankees games at Tropicana Field. The series wraps up Thursday night.

In Karns' rough first inning, he walked the first two batters on eight pitches, then gave up RBI singles to Teixeira and catcher Brian McCann for a 2-0 Yankees lead. Karns allowed two more hits in the second but escaped without more runs.

Tampa Bay got a solo home run from right fielder Steven Souza in the first -- his sixth homer of the season -- to cut the lead to 2-1, then went ahead with two runs in the second.

Second baseman Logan Forsythe hit a leadoff double and scored on a double from Cabrera to tie the score at 2. The double was Cabrera's 1,000th career hit.

Rookie left fielder Joey Butler hit a bloop single into shallow right and Cabrera got a good enough jump to score from second for a 3-2 lead. Karns, after struggling in the first two innings, didn't give up another hit until the fifth.

Twice the Yankees beat a defensive shift for infield singles in the first inning. Teixeira hit a ground ball to second, but Forsythe was lined up so deep into right field that he beat the throw to first for a single.

McCann went opposite field to the third-base side, away from the shift, to put two on with two outs. Right fielder Carlos Beltran singled to center, but Kiermaier came up throwing and catcher Bobby Wilson made the tag for the inning-ending out rather than the tying run.

NOTES: The Rays moved LHP Drew Smyly to the 60-day disabled list, confirming that he has a torn labrum in his pitching shoulder. He's likely to require season-ending surgery but will visit a specialist in Texas on Thursday for another opinion. ... With the opening on the 40-man roster, the Rays claimed RHP Preston Guilmet from the Blue Jays. Guilmet, 27, will report to Triple-A Durham. He joins his fifth organization in 14 months, with a 6.89 ERA in 15 2/3 career innings. He was pitching well at Triple-A with a 1.26 ERA and 12 strikeouts against three walks. ... Tuesday's crowd of 10,417 marked the lowest attendance ever for a Yankees-Rays game at Tropicana Field, breaking the record of 10,619 set Monday night. They're the two lowest regular-season crowds for any Yankees game since a 2003 makeup game at home against Toronto.