Chamberlain dominates in Yanks’ 6-2 win over Rays

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Joba Chamberlain pitched eight scoreless innings and Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano homered and drove in two runs apiece to lead the New York Yankees to a 6-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night.

With Yankees owner George Steinbrenner watching from his private suite at Tropicana Field, the AL East leaders won for the 11th time in 13 games since the All-Star break. They dropped the defending division champion Rays a season-high 7½ games off the pace in third place.

Chamberlain (7-2) limited the sputtering Rays to three singles — two by Jason Bartlett — while allowing only one runner to reach second base. The right-hander struck out five and walked two, with both of the free passes coming in the fifth inning.

Teixeira and Melky Cabrera hit solo homers in the eighth. Teixeira and Jorge Posada also had RBI singles for the Yankees, who have won 24 of their last 31 games to move to the top of the division.

Cano grounded out to drive in a run in the fourth inning, then hit his 16th homer of the year in the sixth for a 3-0 lead against Matt Garza (7-8).

Chamberlain is 4-0 over his last seven starts and improved to 5-0 in nine starts on the road this season. He retired eight in a row before Bartlett singled with two outs in the third and gave up an infield hit to Carl Crawford on a comebacker that he slowed down but couldn’t field in the sixth.

Bartlett added his second hit with two outs in the eighth. Chamberlain departed with a 6-0 lead, but the Yankees still had to call on Mariano Rivera finish the game in a non-save situation after Brian Bruney gave up a triple to Crawford and Evan Longoria’s 21st homer with no outs in the ninth.

Rivera, who entered with one out after Carlos Pena doubled off Bruney, struck out Pat Burrell. After walking Gabe Gross, the New York closer fanned Michel Hernandez to end the game.

The Yankees built a 2-0 lead on Teixeira’s run-scoring single in the first and a single, double and Cano’s RBI grounder in the fourth, however they wasted several opportunities to put Garza in a deep hole by stranding runners at third in the second and third innings.

The Tampa Bay starter struck out Alex Rodriguez to get out of another jam with a runner in scoring position after walking Johnny Damon and hitting Teixeira with a pitch with two outs in the fifth.

Garza, coming off an impressive nine-inning performance in which he outpitched Roy Halladay in a 10-inning win over Toronto, allowed three runs and eight hits in seven innings.

NOTES: Orlando Magic star Dwight Howard threw out the ceremonial first pitch. … A night after going 2 for 3 with a RBI triple against CC Sabathia, Crawford joined the Yankees ace in hosting “Catching Up With Carl Crawford,” an event held to stimulate interest in baseball among young African-Americans. The players shared stories about how they got involved in the game as youngsters. … Yankees RHP Chien-Ming Wang had season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his injured right shoulder in Birmingham, Ala. … Rays C Shawn Riggans (right shoulder tendinitis) finished a minor league rehab assignment and was optioned to Triple-A Durham. … New York obtained RHP Jason Hirsh from Colorado for a player to named. RHP Brett Tomko, designated for assignment on July 22, was released.