St. Petersburg, FL – New York's Mark Teixeira is one of the best defensive first baseman in the majors. But his glove failed him Monday night, and the Tampa Bay Rays capitalized.
Brooks Conrad scored the go-ahead run on Teixeira's rare miscue in the bottom of the seventh inning after coming off the bench to deliver a game-tying RBI double, as the Rays edged the visiting Yankees, 4-3, in the opener of a three- game series at Tropicana Field.
Matt Moore (5-5) gave up three runs on nine hits and three walks over seven innings for Tampa Bay, which entered the game having dropped six of seven.
The Rays extended their home winning streak against the Yankees to eight games.
B.J. Upton and Carlos Pena both homered off New York veteran right-hander Freddy Garcia, who pitched 5 1/3 solid innings in his first start since April 28. Garcia was 0-2 with a 12.51 ERA as a starter before being shifted to the bullpen, where he thrived. He posted a 1.56 ERA in 10 relief appearances.
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