The New York Yankees continue to struggle with strikeouts.

During their 6-4 defeat to the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday evening in St. Petersburg, Florida, the team recorded 17 strikeouts. This marks them as the first American League squad to achieve this in back-to-back nine-inning contests.

Rays starter Ian Seymour, part of a five-pitcher effort, fanned 12 batters over 5 1/3 innings. He becomes the first hurler in half a century to notch that many strikeouts in the first five frames against New York.

The previous night, Griffin Jax recorded 10 strikeouts in five innings during a 5-1 win for Tampa Bay.

Manager Aaron Boone addressed reporters after the game, noting that facing strong pitching happens, but emphasized the need to put the ball in play more effectively.

Paul Goldschmidt went down on strikes four times and has now gone 0-for-30 at the plate. Jose Caballero matched that with four strikeouts as well.

Cody Bellinger commented on the high total, saying he expected it the day before but was surprised today, while praising the Rays' pitching staff.

Despite collecting 11 hits - their first double-digit hit game since June 17 - the Yankees suffered their 10th loss in the last 12 contests.

Boone indicated no major changes in strategy for the club, now four games back of the division-leading Rays, though he stressed the importance of getting key players performing again.

"We need to get some hitters rolling," Boone remarked. "Talented players are in a slump, so we stick to our plan but must improve on being competitive at the plate in key situations."

The Yankees have amassed 824 strikeouts on the year, ranking third in the American League.

Boone expressed determination: "I hate being near the bottom, yet we will persist and battle through it tomorrow."

The challenge continues as left-hander Shane McClanahan, with 77 strikeouts this season, takes the hill for the Rays against New York's Gerrit Cole in game three of the series.

Details were contributed by ESPN Research and The Associated Press.