The Tampa Bay Rays managed to stay one step ahead of the New York Yankees on Friday night, winning Game 1 of the three game series, 6-4. With the win the Rays pull within three games of the Yankees and one of the AL Wild Card.
David Price put in a strong effort for Tampa Bay, picking up the win in seven innings that saw him give up two runs on five hits with six strikeouts and two walks. The Yankees got on the board first, but the Rays took a 3-1 lead in the fifth and held on until the end. The offense in the fifth came on RBI singles by Elliot Johnson and Desmond Jennings, and Evan Longoria picked up an RBI while grounding into a double play.
Curtis Granderson made it 3-2 with a home run, but the Rays added two more with an RBI single from Ben Zobrist in the seventh and a solo home run from B.J. Upton in the eighth. That helped the Rays survive the bottom of the eighth, when Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run shot and Fernando Rodney had to work out of a two-on, two-out jam. He did just that, and went on to pick up his 43rd save of the year. The final Rays run came in the top of the ninth when Jennings reached on a single, stole second and scored when Eduardo Nunez made a throwing error on a Longoria grounder.
Game 2 of the series is Saturday at 4:05 p.m. ET.
Stick with this StoryStream for more coverage from the Rays vs. Yankees series. For more insight and analysis, check out Rays blog DRays Bay, and for the perspective from New York check out Yankees blog Pinstripe Bible.
