Game 144: David Price Comes Up Big In Victory

With the Tampa Bay Rays clinging to life in the playoff hunt, they needed David Price to put together a dominant performance. On Friday night, he delivered.

Price pitched seven solid innings, limiting the New York Yankees to two runs on five hits and two walks, striking out six as he picked up his league leading 18th win in the Rays 6-4 victory in New York.

The Yankees were up 1-0 through four innings before the Rays struck in the top of the fifth. Elliot Johnson singled with runners on first and third, tying the game at 1-1. Desmond Jennings followed with an RBI single, put the Rays ahead. After a walk to load the bases, Evan Longoria grounded into a double play, putting Tampa ahead 3-1.

New York cut the lead to 3-2 when Curtis Granderson led off the bottom of the inning with a solo home run, but the Rays extended the lead in the seventh and eighth innings, scoring a single run in each to go ahead 5-2. Price exited after the seventh, giving way to Joel Peralta, who’s Jekyll and Hyde season continued. Peralta gave up a single to Derek Jeter to open the inning, and after recording an out, was taken deep by Alex Rodriguez, cutting the lead to a single run. Following a walk to Robinson Cano, Joe Maddon had seen enough. Fernando Rodney came in, and stifled the rally, pitching 1.2 innings to earn the save.

For the Yankees, C.C. Sabathia struggled, laboring through 6.2 innings, giving up four runs on six hits and two walks, recording only three strikeouts while taking the loss. Ben Zobrist, Chris Gimenez, and Jennings each had two hits for the Rays in the victory.