After an incredible month-long chase of the of fading Boston Red Sox, in the final series of the season, the Tampa Bay Rays are tied for the lead in the AL Wild Card race. The Rays beat the Yankees 5-2 on Monday night, behind an excellent pitching performance from James Shields. The Yankees, specifically Robbie Cano, got to Shields early but “Big Game James” settled in to pitch eight and two-thirds innings, before handing it over to Kyle Farnsworth for the final out.
BJ Upton’s RBI double in the the third pulled the Rays even, and they would never look back. Johnny Damon would knock in Upton to take the lead, and later bring him home in the seventh on a sac fly to add insurance for Shields.
In Baltimore, the woeful Red Sox fell to the Orioles, as their ace Josh Beckett coughed up six runs in six innings, including a 3 run inside-the-park homer to Robbie Andino.
With two games to play, the Rays and Red Sox are both 89-71.