Gardner, Sabathia help N.Y. avoid sweep
ST. PETERSBURG — The goal is to win each series, and the Rays did that by taking the first two of the three-game set with the Yankees that ended Sunday.
But the Rays missed a chance for the sweep.
The Yankees scored three times in the second inning and made those runs count in a 3-2 victory in front of 20,873 at Tropicana Field.
The loss snapped the Rays' four-game winning streak, their longest since August, and dropped their overall record to 23-23.
Chris Archer (3-3) struck out a season-high 12 in 61⁄3 innings but was tagged with the loss.
CC Sabathia (4-2), who pitched into the sixth, earned the win. He retired 11 straight batters at one point.
Dellin Betances got the final four outs — three on strikeouts — for his second save of the season.
After the game, Yankees manager Joe Girardi couldn't help but smile when talking about 5-foot-11 Brett Gardner going deep again and 6-foot-7 Aaron Judge making an unbelievable diving catch.
Gardner had hit his eighth home run, one more than this 2016 total, and Sabathia won consecutive starts for the first time in nearly a year.
Didi Gregorius had an RBI single in the second for the second of his four hits and Gardner followed with his drive to right.
All of Gardner's home runs have come in a 20-game span starting April 19.
“It sounds a little crazy, but last year I was really inconsistent and just not at my best,” Gardner said. “The first three or four weeks this season I wasn't any good, either. Here recently I've been swinging the bat better.”
Judge made a full-extension diving backhand catch on the right-field warning track in the sixth to rob Evan Longoria of a tying extra-base hit, starting a double play that doubled up Corey Dickerson at first.
“Obviously, one of the biggest plays for us this year,” Sabathia said.
Judge said he had a good read on the ball off the bat.
“Saw I might have a chance, and just dove for it,” he added.
“The play that Judge made was really the difference-maker,” Archer said.
Sabathia, coming off a win at Kansas City, allowed two runs and four hits in five-plus innings.
He had not won back-toback starts since June 10 against Detroit and six days later at Minnesota.
Tyler Clippard stranded Kevin Kiermaier at third in the seventh when he relieved Chad Green and retired Logan Morrison on a flyout on the 11th pitch of an at-bat.
Judge struck out four times overall and the Yankees fanned 17 times, which tied the team record for a nine-inning game.
Still, New York won for just the fourth time in 11 games.
Dickerson scored from second in the first inning when catcher Gary Sanchez was charged with an error for an errant throw attempting to pick off Longoria at first base.
Derek Norris hit a solo homer in the fifth.
There was no carryover from Saturday's game that had three hit batters and three ejections.
In discussions about the Yankees’ health, Girardi said closer Aroldis Chapman (left shoulder rotator cuff inflammation) feels good and will be re-evaluated today to determine when the lefty can start a throwing program.
The manager also said that the Yankees are returning to “Square One” when it comes to struggling ace Masahiro Tanaka, who has allowed 14 runs and seven homers over 42⁄3 innings in his last two starts.
“Sometimes, you can try to change this, change that,” Girardi said.
“Let's get back to what made you successful.”
The Rays, meanwhile, will have right-hander Jake Odorizzi (3-2) face Los Angeles Angels righty J.C. Ramirez (3-3) tonight at Tropicana Field in the opener of a four-game set.
Angels outfielder Mike Trout is a .362 hitter in 13 games at Tropicana Field.