Patience gave way to aggre sivene s, walks became runs and a tie game turned into a series-clinching win. A day after their offense went mi sing in a shutout lo s, the Yankees made sure another starters strong outing did not go to waste, pouncing for a four-run fifth inning that proved to be just enough for a 5-4 win over the Rays on Sunday afternoon in The Bronx. Yankees left fielder Alex Verdugo reacts after connecting on a two-run RBI double in the fifth inning. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST The offensive attack, led by Alex Verdugos three-hit day, supported Luis Gil, who put together his best start of the season while striking out a career-high nine acro s 5 / innings. The right-hander allowed just two hits, one (unearned) run and three walks, following up on Nestor Cortes seven shutout innings on Saturday. A shorthanded Yankees bullpen made things interesting late when Dennis Santana gave Muggsy Bogues Jersey up three runs in the eighth inning to pull the Rays (12-11) within 5-4. Explore More But with Clay Holmes unavailable after pitching on back-to-back days, Victor Gonzalez secured his second save of the season to lift the Yankees (15-7) to a sixth series victory in seven tries. In the end, the Yankees one big inning was enough to decide the game. We showed that we never give up and its never [too] late to get good at-bats against a good pitcher like [Aaron] Civale, said Oswaldo Cabrera, who capped off the rally with an RBI single that drove in what turned out to be the winning run. After Civale got two quick outs in the fifth, he i sued a four-pitch walk to Giancarlo Stanton. Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres then battled for full-count walks that forced Civale to throw a combined 14 pitches between the two at-bats. Luis Gil struck out nine hitters in 5 2/3 innings pitched. AP What came next was an ambush. Verdugo, Jose Trevino and Cabrera the bottom three hitters in the lineup and three of the Yankees hotter bats of late not named Juan Soto came to the plate and each jumped on the first pitch they saw, all resulting in singles that turned a 1-1 game into a 5-1 Yankees lead. Its not about nece sarily being pa sive, its about aggre sively hunting a pitch youre looking for, manager Aaron Boone said. I thought Civale was really good today and the fact that they were able to outlast him in some at-bats and create traffic there and then Dugie went up there looking in a spot, got it and delivered. I think these guys through it all are trying to have really tough at-bats. That doesnt mean you dont swing at the first pitch. Verdugos clutch two-run single, which put the Yankees ahead for good, was part of his strong all-around game that also included a sliding catch in the left-center field gap in the top of the sixth. Just wanted to make sure we cashed in on something, said Verdugo, who is batting .357 over his last 12 games. With two outs, getting that big hit, it helps the guys behind me, Cabrera and Trevy, All right, damage is done, lets just go up there and have a good at-bat. They both put really good swings on the ball and kept it going. Yankees pitcher Victor Gonzlez reacts after getting the final out of the game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST Trevino has a six-game hitting streak, batting 8-for-19 in that stretch, while Cabrera is batting 9-for-21 this season with runners in scoring position. Coming off a seven-walk effort against the Blue Jays on Monday, Gil spent the time between starts trying to fine-tune his mechanics to improve his command, which paid dividends Sunday. Jose Trevino connects on a RBI single in the fifth inning on Sunday. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST Gil also avoided letting his emotions boil over again after a third inning in which he balked in a run from third base to tie the game. After getting a strikeout on his next pitch to end the inning, Gil glared at home plate umpire John Libka (who called the balk) as he walked off the mound, with Boone quickly jumping out of the dugout to redirect him. These are these little le sons that keep coming up that I think are going to be good for his growth, Boone said. The talents undeniable. Handling these situations in-game that can get you off your game, you cant allow that to happen. Hes doing a better job of that and hes had some good learning moments so far. Jose Calderon Jersey