Yanks Beat Rays 9-3, Tanaka Wins 4th

Masahiro Tanaka extended his regular-season unbeaten streak to 40 starts, and Mark Teixeira homered and drove in three runs to help the Yankees rally past the Tampa Bay Rays 9-3 Saturday and end a season-high, three-game losing streak.

Kelly Johnson hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the sixth inning off Josh Lueke (0-2), who also gave up a run-scoring single to Teixeira and a sacrifice fly to Alfonso Soriano in a two-run seventh.

Tanaka (4-0) gave up solo homers to Desmond Jennings and Wil Myers around an RBI single by Ryan Hanigan, falling behind 3-0 by the fourth and looking shaky by the standard he set over his first five big league starts.

But the Yankees' offense bailed him out. Teixeira hit a two-run homer in the fourth, and Jacoby Ellsbury's RBI single in the fifth tied it at 3.

Tanaka, signed by the Yankees from Japan's the Rakuten Golden Eagles during the offseason, allowed three runs and eight hits in seven innings, striking out his two batters to give him five or the day. He is 32-0 in the regular season since losing to Seibu on Aug. 19, 2012. He did lose Game 6 of last year's Japan Series.

Jake Odorizzi retired the first nine Yankees in order, then allowed New York to go 4 for 8 with two walks before he was replaced by Cesar Ramos. Opponents are batting .140 (7 for 50) against Odorizzi in his first time through the batting order, .442 (19 for 43) his second time through and .500 (9 for 18) the third.

Ellsbury led off the fourth with a single to start the Yankees' offense, and Texeira followed with his fourth homer in five games. Brett Gardner added a two-run single in a three-run eighth inning.

New York stranded two or more runners twice in the first five innings after doing it it four times Friday, includin three times in extra innings during a 14-inning loss.

NOTES: The Yankees selected the contract of RHP Alfredo Aceves from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre early Saturday. ... James Loney had three hits, keeping alive a hit streak over his last 13 games at new Yankee Stadium. Myers has hit in all 12 of his games at the ballpark. ... Sunday's game is a matchup of left-handers, New York's CC Sabathia (3-3) vs. Erik Bedard (0-1). ... Ellsbury had three hits, two runs and a steal.

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