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Sabathia keeps Rays in check, Yanks win series

May 11, 2012 - 5:07 AM Bronx, NY (Sports Network) - CC Sabathia was at his best, outdueling Tampa Bay ace David Price, as the Yankees downed the Rays, 5-3, in the rubber match of a three-game set at Yankee Stadium.

Sabathia (5-0) gave up an unearned run in each of the first two innings but then dominated over the next six frames, scattering seven hits with 10 strikeouts and one walk.

"I go out there with the intention of winning every game," said Sabathia. "You know, this was the rubber game and I was going up against a tough guy, so I just wanted to pitch as well as I could."

Curtis Granderson hit his 11th home run of the season and Robinson Cano added a two-run shot for the Yankees, who have won three of four overall.

Price (5-2) gave up five runs on 11 hits with four strikeouts and three walks over seven frames, laboring throughout as the Yankees kept the pressure on.

"I thought I pitched a pretty good game," said Price. "Just a few bad throws I made and they hit them well."

Sean Rodriguez finished with two hits and Elliot Johnson added two hits and scored two runs for the Rays, who have dropped four of five.

Tampa staked Price to a 2-0 lead in the first two frames, but it could have been more. Carlos Pena's single to right scored Rodriguez, but Nick Swisher gunned down Jeff Keppinger at the plate.

Rodriguez drove in the run in the second, slapping a two-out single to center that scored Johnson. The at-bat was possible after Eduardo Nunez made a fielding error earlier in the frame.

That was pretty much the extent of the Tampa offense. It did put its first two runners on in the fourth, before Will Rhymes grounded into a double play and Ben Zobrist hit a lazy fly ball to left. Sabathia retired seven straight before Chris Gimenez's leadoff single in the seventh. The Rays put two on in that frame before B.J. Upton struck out swinging.

New York tied the game in the second as Granderson hit a line drive home run to right then Nunez walked, stole second and scored on Chris Stewart's single to center.

The winning tallies then came in a three-run fifth. Swisher hit a single to right and trotted home on Cano's long home run to right-center field. Alex Rodriguez followed with a double and came home on Andruw Jones' two-out two-bagger.

Rafael Soriano came in to save the game with David Robertson unavailable and immediately allowed a single to Johnson, who stole second and moved to third on Matt Joyce's groundout. Rhymes' RBI groundout made it a 5-3 game, but Zobrist hit a fly ball to center to end the game.

Game Notes

Cano's home run was his third of the season...Granderson now has 20 runs batted in...Nunez picked up his fifth and sixth stolen base of the campaign...Price saw his four-start winning streak come to an end.