he Tampa Bay Rays are trying to stay alive in the American League playoff chase at the expense of the New York Yankees. The Rays have taken six of the last eight meetings with the Yankees, including a 6-4 win in Friday’s series opener. That drew Tampa Bay to within three games of both New York and the Baltimore Orioles for the second

The New York Yankees have won back-to-back games for the first time in nearly a month. Now they have to keep winning if they want to hold off the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. The Yankees enter the weekend tied with the Orioles for both the AL East and the second wild card spot. The Tampa Bay Raysjust dropped three straight

The Baltimore Orioles are not going away quietly. In fact, Buck Showalter’s charges routinely have caused a ruckus by winning wild one-game affairs – much like Wednesday’s 3-2 triumph over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Orioles, who share first place in the American League East with New York, will look to bring their brooms on Thursday afternoon when they complete a three-game set

J.J. Hardy enjoyed a career night on Tuesday – and as a result, the Baltimore Orioles found themselves back in a tie atop the American League East. Hardy will look to maintain his hot hand on Wednesday when the Orioles continue their three-game series against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. Hardy collected four hits – including a pair of two-run homers – and

The Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles each have their eyes on the same prizes and are standing in each other’s way to get them. Locked in tight races for both the American League East title and wild card, the teams will open a crucial three-game series Tuesday in Baltimore. The Orioles are coming off a four-game split with New York that left them

Tampa Bay Rays right-hander James Shields has won five of his last six decisions to propel his team into the thick of the wild-card race. The lone setback came at the hands of the Texas Rangers on Aug. 28, although Shields was masterful in striking out eight in seven innings in the 1-0 loss. Shields will look to avenge his hard-luck loss on

The Tampa Bay Rays will be asking a great deal of rookie right-hander Chris Archer, who was recalled from Triple-A Durham to replace stud southpaw David Price for Saturday’s start against the Texas Rangers. The Rays declared that general soreness in Price’s left shoulder is the reason for the absence of the 17-gamer winner. Archer will make his third career start after the

Adrian Beltre may soon be reaching for his pipe and slippers because he is making himself at home during the Texas Rangers‘ extended road trip. After belting his fifth homer in seven contests to help the Rangers take three of four from Kansas City, Beltre will look to keep Texas rolling in the right direction on Friday when it opens a

Suddenly the New York Yankees are in danger of not only losing their grip on the American League East, but on a wild card spot as well. The Tampa Bay Rays are bearing down on the Yankees in the standings and have dominated their division rivals at Tropicana Field, taking 11 of the last 12 meetings under the Dome. New York has fallen into

The New York Yankees are fumbling away their lead in the American League East as the Tampa Bay Rays attempt to steal a playoff spot with another strong September. The Yankees, who led the East by as much as 10 games in July, had their lead over the Baltimore Orioles trimmed to one game with a loss to the Rays on Monday. Tampa Bay