Headley, Teixeira lift Yanks over Rays 5-3 for 3-game sweep

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) The New York Yankees completed their best trip to Tampa Bay in a decade with their first sweep this season.

Chase Headley and Mark Teixeira drove in two runs each, and the Yankees beat the Rays 5-3 Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.

''You make up a little bit for the slow start,'' Headley said. ''We didn't play well, really, in any facet the first couple series.''

New York (6-6) reached .500 for the first time since it was 1-1. The Yankees swept a series of three or more games at Tampa Bay for the first time since Sept. 13-15, 2005.

Headley had an RBI single off Matt Andriese (0-1) in a two-run third to help the Yankees go ahead 3-2. He made it 5-2 with an RBI double in the fifth.

Teixeira hit a first-inning sacrifice fly and run-scoring grounder in the third, and John Ryan Murphy had a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Alex Rodriguez doubled, walked twice and scored twice. Rodriguez, who leads the team with a .316 average, four homers and 11 RBIs, also hit a broken-bat fly that was caught just in front of the left field warning track.

Michael Pineda (2-0) allowed three runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings. After Ryan Brett doubled leading off the ninth for his first big league hit, Andrew Miller struck out three straight batters for his fourth save.

''It feels good,'' Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. ''You're getting contributions up and down the lineup. The bullpen came in and did a really good job. Got some good starting pitching. Those are the things you need to be consistent.''

Steven Souza Jr. homered and drove in three runs for the Rays.

''It's just a bump in the road,'' Souza said.

David DeJesus drew a rare road walk from Pineda leading off the first and scored on Souza's homer for a 2-1 lead. In 10 road starts with the Yankees, Pineda has walked three in 48 2-3 innings.

Souza cut the Rays' deficit to 5-3 with an RBI double in the fifth.

Andriese gave up four runs and eight hits in 3 1-3 innings.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Yankees: RF Carlos Beltran (cold) was out of the lineup for the second straight game. He might start Monday night at Detroit.

Rays: LHP Drew Smyly, who could return this month from left shoulder tendinitis, gave up one hit and three walks with four strikeouts in 3 2-3 scoreless innings for Double-A Montgomery.

MORE A-ROD

Rodriguez reached base on eight of 14 plate appearances during the series. He went 4 for 10 with two homers, four RBIs, four walks and scored six times. The only Yankees' player to score six times in a three-game series last season was Brett Gardner July 28-30 at Texas.

TANAKA TIME

RHP Masahiro Tanaka made just the 10th start Saturday night by a Yankees pitcher since 1914 with at least seven scoreless innings, two-hits-or-fewer, no walks and at least eight strikeouts. It was the first one by a Yankees pitcher since Randy Johnson on July 26, 2005.

LONGO'S LONG DAYS

Rays slugger Evan Longoria was hitless in three at-bats and is 0 for 14 overall against Pineda. All three at-bats Sunday came with runners on base.

UP NEXT

Yankees: LHP CC Sabathia (0-2, 5.68 ERA) looks for his first win since April 24 last year against Boston when he starts Monday. He made just eight starts last season due to a right knee injury that required surgery in July.

Rays: RHP Chris Archer (2-1, 1.37 ERA) will try to extend his 14-inning scoreless streak when he faces Boston on Tuesday night. He is 1-4 with a 6.03 ERA in seven starts against the Red Sox.