Red-hot Yankees, Teixeira slam Rays
NEW YORK -- Mark Teixeira hit a grand slam with two outs in the fourth inning and the New York Yankees withstood three rain delays to run their winning streak to six games with a 7-5 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays Friday night.
The Yankees (75-65) matched their season high with their second six-game winning streak in a game that featured delays totaling a combined 94 minutes.
New York also won six straight May 18-24 and remained two games back in the wild card race and four behind in the AL East.
Rookie Gary Sanchez also homered and threw a runner out from his knees as the Yankees won for the 12th time in their last 16 games.
Rob Refsnyder added an RBI double and Teixeira scored on a wild pitch for New York.
Logan Morrison and Steven Souza Jr. homered for the Rays, who have dropped five of six. Morrison and Bobby Wilson added RBI singles for Tampa Bay.
New York's Michael Pineda allowed two runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings. He nearly completed five innings but the Rays challenged a call on a double play, got it overturned and the right-hander did not qualify for the win.
Since official scoring rules prevented Pineda from getting the victory, Adam Warren (2-1) was awarded the win by pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Dellin Betances allowed two hits in the ninth and the game was halted a third time with a 2-2 count to Brad Miller and runners at first and third
When the game resumed, Betances fanned Miller, allowed Morrison's third hit and struck out Souza for his 10th save.
Tampa Bay rookie Blake Snell (5-8) labored through 2 2/3 innings, allowing three runs and six hits.
The Yankees took a 1-0 lead two batters in when Refsnyder's double got past left fielder Corey Dickerson and drove in Jacoby Ellsbury, who had singled.
New York added two in the third when Sanchez sent a full count fastball from Snell over the center field fence and Teixeira scored on a wild pitch.
Tampa Bay cut the lead to 3-2 when Morrison and Souza homered with one out in the fourth. Morrison sent a 1-1 fastball into a suite above the second deck in right and Souza followed by lining a first-pitch breaking ball down the left field line.
Following a 21-minute rain delay, Teixeira made it 7-2 when he sent a 1-1 fastball from Kevin Jepsen into the New York bullpen beyond the right-center field wall.
NOTES: Friday marked the one-year anniversary of 1B Tyler Austin getting sent outright to Double-A Trenton after being designated for assignment off the 40-man roster. ... Tampa Bay INF Brad Miller (right elbow soreness) told manager Kevin Cash he was fine and was in the starting lineup at DH. ... The Yankees added a fourth left-hander to their bullpen by calling up Richard Bleier from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre. He was slated to start Game 4 of Scranton/Wilkes Barre's playoff series Saturday if necessary. ... Tampa Bay RHP Erasmo Ramirez is the first pitcher to allow walk-off home runs to a Yankee since Guillermo Hernandez in 1988. Ramirez gave up Austin's homer Thursday and LF Brett Gardner's blast April 23. Hernandez allowed game-ending home runs to Gary Ward and Claudell Washington on Sept. 9 and 11, 1988.