MLB

YANKEES TOP TAMPA

ST. PETERSBURG – With Hal Steinbrenner watching from above home plate, the Yankees rode the arms of Mike Mussina and Joba Chamberlain, Alex Rodriguez’s milestone homer and Xavier Nady’s two-run blast in addition to taking advantage of several Rays mistakes last night at Tropicana Field.

Hours before the 7-2 victory in front of 21,629, Hal and his brother, Hank, met with GM Brian Cashman in Tampa and decided the organization will look at the remainder of the season in miniature bites.

Mussina (17-7) notched his first win in three starts by going six-plus innings in which he allowed two runs and 10 hits. The antique right-hander is three wins shy of a 20-win season for the first time in his career. His 267th victory vaulted him past Bob Feller and Eppa Rixey into 34th place on the all-time list. Jim Palmer is next at 268.

“I don’t try to win a game for one starter over another, but obviously (Mussina) has been a great pitcher for a long time,” manager Joe Girardi said.

Rodriguez’s solo homer starting the eighth was his 548th and tied him for 12th place with Mike Schmidt on the all-time list. Reggie Jackson is next at 563.

Chamberlain returned from almost a month on the disabled list due to rotator cuff tendinitis and threw 1 scoreless innings in relief. He needed one pitch to retire pinch-hitter Rocco Baldelli on a grounder to end the seventh and worked out of a jam in the eighth.

Nady clubbed a two-run homer in the three-run fourth.

The Yankees’ second straight victory didn’t help them in the wild-card race because Boston crushed Baltimore and remained seven games ahead of the Yankees. For what it’s worth, the Yankees are 11 lengths back of the AL East-leading Rays, who are four up on the Red Sox.

Mussina, who is 19-7 lifetime against the Rays, left in the seventh after Gabe Gross and Shawn Riggans opened with doubles that reduced the Yankees’ lead to 6-2.

Rays starter Matt Garza (11-8) gave up six runs (four earned) and five hits in five-plus innings.

Mental lapses cost the Rays a strong chance at scoring a run in the second and allowed the Yankees to plate three instead of two in the fourth when they erased a 1-0 Rays lead.

With Willy Aybar on first via a leadoff single in the second, Hinske punished a ball to left-center. Thinking that Aybar would score, Hinske never looked at third base coach Tim Foley and rounded second with his head down. When he went into third with a head-first slide, Hinske found Aybar near the bag. With nothing else to do, Aybar broke for home and was an easy out. Hinske was credited with a double and a major gaffe.

Mussina responded by getting Bartlett on a grounder to Rodriguez and striking out Gross looking.

Derek Jeter started the fourth with an infield single to third and was an easy out when Bobby Abreu swung through a hit-and-run pitch. Jeter actually halted his effort between bases but when Riggans didn’t throw immediately, Jeter jump-started his effort and the catcher’s throw was in the dirt.

Abreu’s fly to center moved Jeter to third and following a walk to Rodriguez, Jeter scored on Jason Giambi’s fly to center field. Two pitches later Nady sent a 1-0 pitch off the second catwalk in left-field for a two-run homer and a 3-1 Yankees lead.

george.king@nypost.com