The Tampa Bay Rays avoided the sweep on Thursday night, defeating the New York Yankees 7-3 at Yankee Stadium. Tampa jumped on CC Sabathia and took advantage of two Yankee errors to get out to a 5-1 lead in the top of the fourth. Ben Zobrist and B.J. Upton both knocked in runs with singles in the top of the third to put the Rays in front, 3-1, and they would never look back. The rally was set up by an Alex Rodriguez throwing error.
In the fifth inning, Tampa extending the lead to 5-1. Jose Lobaton got on base with a single and he was promptly followed by Matt Joyce, who also singled off Sabathia. Drew Sutton, batting last in the lineup, ripped a double to left that scored both and opened the lead to four runs. Sutton would knock in Matt Joyce and score a run in the ninth in a big night against the Rays' rival.
David Price was not his sharpest but he got the job done. He went just five innings but gave up only one run, striking out eight. The Rays are now back in first, tied with Baltimore and a half-game ahead of the Yankees. They now travel south to face the Miami Marlins as interleague play gets underway.
Read more about the Rays at DRaysBay. For more in-depth coverage on the other side, visit Yankees blog Pinstripe Alley. Go to Baseball Nation for additional news and notes around the league.