HOME WRECKER: Ichiro Suzuki slides in safely with the go-ahead run as Rays catcher Jose Lobaton watches Elliot Johnson’s throw get away in the Yankees’ 6-4 win last night at Tropicana Field. (Getty Images)
ST. PETERSBURG — Elliot Johnson’s leaky leather and scatter arm had more to do with last night’s result than anything said at a hastily called pregame meeting put together in part by Alex Rodriguez.
Johnson, the Rays’ second baseman, made two costly misplays that helped the Yankees climb back into first place in the AL East with a 6-4 victory in front of 16,711 at Tropicana Field last night.
One night after falling into a tie with the Orioles for the lead, the Yankees pulled ahead by one game with the win and the Orioles’ loss to the Blue Jays.
Johnson failed to glove Derek Jeter’s pop into short center field that was ruled a hit and fueled a three-run fourth inning. In the seventh, Johnson threw a ball away at the plate that led to a pair of unearned runs.
“We had a couple of breaks go our way, and we will take it,’’ said Russell Martin, who homered, drove in three runs and got his batting average to .202. It’s the first time Martin has been over .200 since June 22.
Rodriguez, who drove in a run in the fourth with a double, refused to divulge if he spoke at the second meeting inside a week. But it was clear what the topic was: execute the little things.
“I feel we are putting our master plan in order,’’ Rodriguez said. “Obviously, the brand of baseball we have to play in October has to do with small ball. What is going to take us to the next level is what we did tonight, execute the little things. That should be the theme for the rest of the year.’’
Outside of Jayson Nix’s well-placed sacrifice bunt in the seventh, when the Yankees scored two unearned runs, it was business as usual for the muscular Yankees. Martin’s homer in the fifth, which put the Yankees up 4-3, was the Yankees’ MLB-leading 204th. He also had a two-run, ground-rule double in the fourth. Rodriguez blistered an RBI double to left.
Asked if he organized the meeting, Joe Girardi hesitated before saying, “Ah, we just wanted to talk about some of the things we were going through. The importance of you go through it and you have been through it and will come out of it.’’
One game doesn’t mean the Yankees have completely escaped a morbid stretch when they lost 10 of 14. Especially when Johnson gift-wrapped three of their runs in a two-run victory that went to Hiroki Kuroda (13-10).
Yet, the victory did send the Yankees to Baltimore for a crucial four-game series with a skinny lead.
“Buck [Showalter, Orioles manager] has them playing good baseball. We’re 130-something games into the season and they’re right there,’’ Jeter said of the Orioles, who have split 14 games with the Yankees. “They deserve a lot of credit.’’
Jeter, who went 3-for-5 and played on a gimpy ankle, turned in the defensive play of the game when he went into left field to catch Matt Joyce’s inning-ending pop up that if it fell would have cut the Yankees lead to a run.
“I thought I [had a chance], I was right,’’ Jeter said. “Going on the run, the outfielder wasn’t anywhere close, just a matter of getting there. Never took my eye off it.’’
Now, all eyes will be on Camden Yards. The O’s aren’t a fluke and have the Yankees’ attention.
“It’s exciting, that’s what baseball is all about,’’ said Nick Swisher, who was glad to escape the Trop after going 0-for-11 in three games. “It’s going to be fun and we have to play it out.’’
george.king@nypost.com