Rays 4 - 5 Yankees
Final
  for this game

Yankees eye series win over Rays

Sep 11, 2014 - 2:28 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The New York Yankees' postseason chances might be diminishing by the day, but don't tell them that.

On the heels of their biggest comeback of the season, the Yankees now try to win a series in the finale of their three-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium.

New York fell behind 4-0 on Wednesday, but rallied back, as Brian McCann knocked in three runs on a pair of hits and the Yankees overcame the rough start to post a much-needed 8-5 win.

Both McCann and Chris Young belted solo homers, while the Yankees received outstanding work from their bullpen and halted a two-game skid.

After Chris Capuano was rocked for four runs while recording just a single out, five New York relievers combined to allow just one over 8 2/3 innings of work. Preston Claiborne (3-0) earned the victory with a pair of scoreless frames.

"Just an outstanding job by all the guys," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "They came in and they threw strikes and they made pitches and gave us a chance to come back."

The bullpen's effort also helped the Yankees gain some ground in the American League Wild Card race after Detroit lost to Kansas City Wednesday. Still, New York trails the Tigers by 4 1/2 games and must leap a few other teams to nab the final playoff spot.

Young finished 3-for-4 with two RBI and Chase Headley had two hits while knocking in one run for the Yankees. Mark Teixeira drove in the go-ahead run with a fifth-inning triple off Jake Odorizzi.

Odorizzi (10-12) failed to hold the early lead, lasting just 4 1/3 innings and surrendering six runs on five hits and three walks.

"I'm solely to blame for tonight. This loss is on me," Odorizzi said afterward. "The whole team can point the finger in this direction and I'll accept it. We had a four-run lead and I gave it up. And that's unacceptable."

Evan Longoria homered and Wil Myers and Yunel Escobar both recorded two hits and an RBI for Tampa Bay, which won Tuesday's opener by a 4-3 margin and had prevailed in five straight visits to Yankee Stadium.

New York will hand the ball on Thursday to impressive right-hander Michael Pineda, who has yet to allow more than two runs in any of his nine starts this season. Pineda, though, has lost his last two starts, despite allowing just three runs (2 earned) in 13 innings of those outings. He is 3-4 on the year with a 1.80 ERA.

The Yanks haven't scored for Pineda in his last two trips to the hill, including Friday against Kansas City when he allowed just one unearned run and three hits over seven innings.

"We just really never got anything going," Girardi said after that game.

Runs may be at a premium once again for New York, as it goes up against righty Alex Cobb, who is 4-1 over his last nine outings with a 1.08 ERA, the lowest of any starter since July 23. .

Cobb, who is 9-7 on the year with a 2.83 ERA, has surrendered two runs or fewer in his last 11 starts, which is the longest active streak in the major leagues and a franchise record. It's tied for the sixth-longest streak in the AL since data became available (1914) and is the second-longest this season behind Felix Hernandez's run of 17 straight starts.

"It's a cool streak," Cobb said. "I don't look too much into it because some of those games were like four innings and weren't that great."

Cobb, though, has received two runs of support or fewer in six of his last seven starts, including a total of three in the last four.

The right-hander has also dominated the Yankees, posting a 5-0 mark with a 1.24 ERA in his last six appearances against them.

Tampa has won nine of its 15 matchups with the Yankees this season.






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