Panzram
05-29-2004, 11:06 PM
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Kevin Brown allowed three hits in 7 2-3 innings and the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 5-3 Saturday night to take over first place in the AL East.
Bernie Williams, Ruben Sierra and Enrique Wilson homered for the defending AL champions, who climbed to a season-high 12 games over .500 (30-18) with their sixth straight win on a 12-game road trip that ends Sunday.
Pitching on a week's rest because he left the Yankees for two days to handle a personal matter, Brown (6-1) limited the Devil Rays to Toby Hall's leadoff single in the third until Hall led off the eighth with his third home run of the season.
Carl Crawford walked, stole second and scored on Rocco Baldelli's two-out double, chasing the Yankees starter. After reliever Felix Heredia gave up an RBI double to Aubrey Huff, leaving New York with a 5-3 lead, Tom Gordon struck out Fred McGriff to end the inning.
Mariano Rivera, who got his 300th career save on Friday night, worked a hitless ninth to earn his AL-leading 18th save this season.
Four of Brown's six victories have come against the Devil Rays, who have scored just six runs in 28 2-3 innings against the right-hander. Brown walked three, struck out five and allowed just one runner past first base until the eighth.
Derek Jeter also had an RBI single for the Yankees, who have won eight of their last 12 games. With Boston losing to Seattle earlier in the day, New York moved atop the AL East for the first time since May 21, a half-game up on the Red Sox.
Williams went 3-for-4 and hit his fifth home run off Mark Hendrickson (2-5) in the first inning. New York added a run in the fourth when Hideki Matsui walked, Sierra doubled off the left-field wall and Tony Clark grounded out.
Sierra homered for the second straight game in the sixth for a 3-0 lead. The Yankees have outhomered the Devil Rays 15-4 in seven games, and Tampa Bay has been outhomered by opponents 68-36 overall.
Jeter's RBI single gave Brown a four-run lead and Williams' third hit, with two outs in the sixth, chased Hendrickson, who allowed eight hits, walked four and struck out one in 5 2-3 innings.
Wilson hit a solo homer off Travis Harper in the eighth.
Alex Rodriguez went 2-for-4, extending his streak of reaching base safely to 37 games -- matching the longest such stretch in his career. The reigning AL MVPalso reached safely in 37 straight in 1999 with Seattle.
Notes
McGriff made his first start for Tampa Bay since being called up from Triple-A Durham, batting fourth. Tino Martinez, who usually bats cleanup, is 4-for-41 lifetime against Brown and had the night off. ... McGriff, who has 491 career home runs, went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. ... New York C Jorge Posada has drawn a walk in a career-best 13 consecutive games. ... Williamsneeds 10 hits to become the seventh Yankee to reach 2,000 in his career.
Bernie Williams, Ruben Sierra and Enrique Wilson homered for the defending AL champions, who climbed to a season-high 12 games over .500 (30-18) with their sixth straight win on a 12-game road trip that ends Sunday.
Pitching on a week's rest because he left the Yankees for two days to handle a personal matter, Brown (6-1) limited the Devil Rays to Toby Hall's leadoff single in the third until Hall led off the eighth with his third home run of the season.
Carl Crawford walked, stole second and scored on Rocco Baldelli's two-out double, chasing the Yankees starter. After reliever Felix Heredia gave up an RBI double to Aubrey Huff, leaving New York with a 5-3 lead, Tom Gordon struck out Fred McGriff to end the inning.
Mariano Rivera, who got his 300th career save on Friday night, worked a hitless ninth to earn his AL-leading 18th save this season.
Four of Brown's six victories have come against the Devil Rays, who have scored just six runs in 28 2-3 innings against the right-hander. Brown walked three, struck out five and allowed just one runner past first base until the eighth.
Derek Jeter also had an RBI single for the Yankees, who have won eight of their last 12 games. With Boston losing to Seattle earlier in the day, New York moved atop the AL East for the first time since May 21, a half-game up on the Red Sox.
Williams went 3-for-4 and hit his fifth home run off Mark Hendrickson (2-5) in the first inning. New York added a run in the fourth when Hideki Matsui walked, Sierra doubled off the left-field wall and Tony Clark grounded out.
Sierra homered for the second straight game in the sixth for a 3-0 lead. The Yankees have outhomered the Devil Rays 15-4 in seven games, and Tampa Bay has been outhomered by opponents 68-36 overall.
Jeter's RBI single gave Brown a four-run lead and Williams' third hit, with two outs in the sixth, chased Hendrickson, who allowed eight hits, walked four and struck out one in 5 2-3 innings.
Wilson hit a solo homer off Travis Harper in the eighth.
Alex Rodriguez went 2-for-4, extending his streak of reaching base safely to 37 games -- matching the longest such stretch in his career. The reigning AL MVPalso reached safely in 37 straight in 1999 with Seattle.
Notes
McGriff made his first start for Tampa Bay since being called up from Triple-A Durham, batting fourth. Tino Martinez, who usually bats cleanup, is 4-for-41 lifetime against Brown and had the night off. ... McGriff, who has 491 career home runs, went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. ... New York C Jorge Posada has drawn a walk in a career-best 13 consecutive games. ... Williamsneeds 10 hits to become the seventh Yankee to reach 2,000 in his career.