NEW YORK — David Price came off the field after the fifth inning, drenched with sweat after his confrontation with Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano. He got them both out with the bases loaded, and Rays manager Joe Maddon figured that was enough.
Price struck out eight to become the AL leader in wins, and Tampa Bay beat the New York Yankees 7-3 on Thursday night to avert a three-game series sweep.
“David was outstanding. He only threw five innings, but it was almost like he threw a complete game,” Maddon said. “The at-bat with A-Rod. Curveball, curveball, curveball, curveball. Strike three was incredible. Just an outstanding performance.”
Price finished his night by retiring two of the Yankees’ most dangerous hitters in a high-pressure situation. Rodriguez returned to the dugout after an 11-pitch at-bat and Cano grounded out in six more, ending New York’s best threat to cut into a four-run lead.
CC Sabathia struck out 12 and matched a season high with 121 pitches for the Yankees, who lost for the fourth time in their last 14 games and went 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position to lower their average in such situations to .218.
The Yankees got the tying run to the plate with two outs in the eighth inning. Pinch-hitter Raul Ibanez singled in a run against Joel Peralta to make it 5-2, bringing up pinch-hitter Eric Chavez, who grounded out to first with two on.
Russell Martin added a solo shot in the ninth for New York.
Price (8-3) never seemed to find a rhythm against the Yankees. He walked four and gave up one run and three hits in his shortest appearance since lasting only three innings at Boston in his second start. But he stranded seven runners in those five innings — four in scoring position.
His 38-pitch fifth inning — as harrowing as it was — may have been his best.
Chris Stewart hit a leadoff single, Derek Jeter walked and Curtis Granderson struck out before Teixeira walked, loading the bases for Rodriguez. He began swinging outside the batter’s box as the theme from “Jaws” played and the Rays huddled on the mound.
“That’s not the position that I want to be in against anybody, especially against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium,” Price said.
Fans stood and cheered, then got louder with each pitch Rodriguez fouled off as he worked the count full. After A-Rod fouled off five of them, Price got him to swing and miss on a breaking ball that curved into the far lower corner of the strike zone, and Rodriguez stormed back to the dugout, talking to himself as boos rained down.
With the air let out of the stadium, Cano grounded out to second to end the inning. Cano fell to 1 for 12 with the bases full this season. Rodriguez is 1 for 10.
“That was the game, I thought.” Maddon said. “That was the game. That game could have gone the other way.”
Rodriguez also made a two-base throwing error during the Rays’ two-run third inning, sailing the ball over Teixeira’s head at first base on Elliot Johnson’s one-out grounder The miscue led to two unearned runs, with Ben Zobrist singling home Johnson and scoring on B.J. Upton’s sacrifice fly for a 3-1 lead.
“We gave them an extra out,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “I thought CC threw pretty well, they just put their hits together. He kept us in the game.”
The Rays scored twice in the ninth, too. Nick Swisher mishandled Drew Sutton’s double in right, allowing Matt Joyce to score, and Johnson doubled home Sutton.
Sabathia (7-3) got the worse end of the untidy pitchers’ duel. He allowed three earned runs, seven hits and a walk in seven innings.
“It’s a good lineup, that team,” Sabathia said. “They’re always at the top of the division.”
Sutton hit a two-run double into the left-field corner in the fourth. Jose Lobaton singled in the Rays’ first run, in the second. The Yankees tied it in the bottom half when Swisher came home on a groundout by Stewart after taking third on a wild pitch.