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 to sing 6 / shutout innings on the way to the Yankees 2-0 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field. Clarke Schmidt pitches during the Yankees win over the Rays on May 10, 2024. USA TODAY Sports Schmidt was on the attack from the start, with the Rays equally aggre sive against him, as he 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. Incredible, said Anthony Rizzo, who provided all the offense with an RBI single in the fourth inning and a solo home run in the ninth. Fastball command, the cutter Uruguay Jersey was biting hard and his off-speed [was good]. Just seeing him continue to get better and better and more confident and believe in himself, its fun to watch. Explore More 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. Pitching into the seventh inning for the first time this season, Schmidt avoided the third-time-through-the-order trouble that has hurt him at times and kept the Rays (19-20), who had won five of their last six, at bay. Its just one of those things where its the next puzzle piece in learning how to get better as a starting pitcher, said Schmidt, who gave up five singles and walked two while striking out six. We feel like were continuing to move that needle and get better and better. We felt like we were getting closer and closer and tonight was a big accomplishment as far as that goes. Its just the beginning. Holmes played with fire in the ninth, loading the bases on two walks (doubling his season total) and a single. But he leaned on his sweeper to escape the jam, striking out Jonny DeLuca to end it. Anthony Rizzo hits an RBI-single during the Yankees win over the Rays on May 10, 2024. AP 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 though never completing six innings 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. The sixth inning had been Schmidts bugaboo this season, allowing seven of his 14 earned runs in that frame. But with Burdi beginning to warm in the sixth on Friday, Schmidt helped himself out by picking off Randy Arozarena at first base for the second out. One pitch later, the inning was over. He had a little bit of everything going tonight, manager Aaron Boone said. Really, really sharp performance. Made a couple big pitches when he really needed to in a 1-0 game. Cutting down a few people on the bases, which was nice. But just a really good start by Clarke. Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you By clicking above you agree to the and . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! 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. Just typical Trevy stuff, Boone said. Schmidt had to be at his best on a night when Rays right-hander Taj Bradley, in his season debut, kept the Yankees in check. Schmidt called the focus on him needing to go deeper in games a big talking point, though insisted it was not something he thinks about. I try to block out the noise and not worry about but I know what Im capable of doing, he said. I know Im very well capable of controlling my pitch count and going deeper in games. Its a big step in the right direction. Cristiano Ronaldo Jersey