NEW YORK -- On Sunday afternoon, Rays catcher Francisco Mej¨ªa was three outs away from catching a perfect game pitched by Drew Rasmussen. On Monday night, Mej¨ªa played a nearly perfect game behind the plate.

The Rays¡¯ 26-year-old catcher caught a five-pitcher shutout and made two key defensive plays to keep the Yankees off the board in the fourth inning of Tampa Bay¡¯s 4-0 victory at Yankee Stadium. It was the Rays¡¯ third straight win, and their seventh in the last 11 games, but only their fourth in 11 matchups against the Yankees this season.

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¡°I think it was the preparation,¡± Mej¨ªa said through interpreter Manny Navarro. ¡°With all the meetings that we had before the series and how we prepare, it helped us win this game today.¡±

Thrust into a more prominent role with All-Star catcher Mike Zunino limited to 31 games and now out for the season, Mej¨ªa started his third straight game on Monday night. It was the first time he¡¯d been asked to catch on three consecutive days this season and only the second instance in which the Rays have started any catcher three days in a row in ¡¯22.

Mej¨ªa stepped up again, and the Rays won for the 31st time in his 48 starts behind the plate.

¡°Without a doubt, he's done a tremendous job,¡± manager Kevin Cash said. ¡°The attention to detail, he's focused inning by inning, talking to [pitching coach Kyle Snyder], talking to the pitchers. They meet every outing before the game and go over a game plan, and I think everybody's really pleased with the way he's sticking to it.¡±

It helps to catch a bunch of talented arms, of course. Opener Jalen Beeks, bulk-innings lefty Ryan Yarbrough and relievers Ryan Thompson, Brooks Raley and Jason Adam deftly navigated the Yankees¡¯ dangerous (albeit slumping) lineup, combining to allow only seven hits and a walk while striking out 12 in the Rays¡¯ seventh shutout of the season.

¡°He's commanding the game,¡± Thompson said of Mej¨ªa. ¡°He's doing a lot of things that I think a lot of people miss, a lot of things that a lot of people don't realize that he's doing behind the plate as far as giving the pitchers confidence to throw what they're throwing.¡±

In the fourth inning, Mej¨ªa used his strong arm and sharp instincts to keep the shutout going.

Miguel And¨²jar led off the fourth with a single and advanced to second when Yarbrough booted Andrew Benintendi¡¯s sacrifice bunt. Mej¨ªa then fielded Jose Trevino¡¯s bunt and fired a quick throw to Yandy D¨ªaz, forcing out And¨²jar at third base.

¡°Very heads up,¡± Cash said. ¡°Heads up by Yandy, too.¡±

The Yankees loaded the bases on Isiah Kiner-Falefa¡¯s single to right field. But when Aaron Hicks tapped a ball back to the mound, Yarbrough teamed up with Mej¨ªa to turn an inning-ending, 1-2-3 double play.

¡°One-run game, just trying to keep the team in it,¡± said Yarbrough, who retired the final six hitters he faced and earned his first win since last Sept. 24. ¡°Everything worked out pretty well.¡±

Thompson picked up where Yarbrough left off, working a perfect seventh, then returned to start the eighth. He gave up a leadoff single to Gleyber Torres, bringing Aaron Judge to the plate as the potential go-ahead run. Cash stuck with Thompson against the American League MVP front-runner, with Raley warming for a lefty-lefty matchup against Anthony Rizzo.

Thompson spun two down-and-in sliders to get ahead in the count then went for the strikeout with an 0-2 slider that was just off the plate. Judge slapped the next pitch, another low slider, to shortstop Taylor Walls, who started the crucial 6-4-3 double play.

¡°I was just trying to get ahead and put him away,¡± Thompson said. ¡°That 0-2 pitch was really close, but the result ended up being better than if that was on the plate. Can't complain.¡±

The Rays struck first in the fourth, when David Peralta scored on an Isaac Paredes single after hitting a deep fly ball that turned around Hicks and landed for a triple. They added three valuable insurance runs in the ninth on run-scoring singles by Jose Siri and D¨ªaz.

That gave Adam some breathing room and snapped a streak of nine straight games against the Yankees decided by two runs or fewer.

¡°Very similar game today,¡± Cash said. ¡°The add-on runs become crucial because you know, at any moment, they've got a lineup one to nine that can tie a ballgame when it's 1-0.¡±