The New York Yankees defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, 5-3, on Saturday, thanks to six solid innings from Ivan Nova and back-to-back home runs from Curtis Granderson and Eduardo Nunez in the second inning.
Nova (12-7, 4.85 ERA) allowed two earned runs in his six innings of work, striking out eight Tampa Bay batters while allowing just four hits and two walks. James Shields (14-9, 3.77 ERA) took the loss for the Rays after giving up four runs in his 6 1/3 innings.
Granderson's home run was his 39th of the season, with the Nunez blast the first of the year for the utility infielder. Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano each chipped in two hits apiece for New York.
The win momentarily puts New York back in first place in the American League East, half a game ahead of the Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore plays on the west coast on Saturday night, against the Oakland Athletics.
The weekend series wraps up on Sunday at Yankee Stadium, with Hiroki Kuroda scheduled to take the mound for New York, facing Matt Moore of Tampa Bay. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. ET.
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