Yanks Sweep Devil Rays

June 25, 1999 / 1:31 AM EDT / CBS/AP

After two easy victories, the New York Yankees had to work for a sweep of the struggling Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Chuck Knoblauch broke a seventh-inning tie with a sacrifice fly and the defending World Series champions went on to win 7-3 Thursday night for their fifth victory in six games.

The win was New York's eighth straight against Tampa Bay, which has lost 14 of 15 against the Yankees since entering the AL last season.

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The Yankees, who train a few blocks away during spring training, took the first two games of the series by a combined score of 19-4 and came from behind for the second straight night to finish the sweep.

Â"It's home. We're happy we've been successful against them,Â" Torre said.

Â"We're a good team. I'm glad we don't take an expansion team lightly. When you go in thinking no problem, that's when somebody knocks your brains out.Â"

Andy Pettitte (5-5), the only Yankees pitcher to lose to Tampa Bay, allowed seven hits in 6 2-3 innings to win consecutive starts for the first time since last July 9 and 14.

Pettitte, who beat Anaheim in his previous start, struck out six but almost let the game get away during a stretch in which he walked five of nine.

Ramiro Mendoza pitched 2 1-3 innings for his second save.

Â"I'm real happy. I felt good the first five innings. I felt as locked in as I was my last start. I was really happy about that,Â" Pettitte said.

Scott Brosius wiped out a 3-2 deficit with a run-scoring double off Bryan Rekar (5-3) in the seventh. He took third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Knoblauch's sacrifice fly.

The Yankees added two runs in the eighth on Tino Martinez's RBI triple and Paul O'Neill's sacrifice fly off Norm Charlton. Derek Jeter had an RBI single in the ninth.

The loss was Tampa Bay's 11th straight at home, equaling the longest streak in the major leagues this season. The Florida Marlins also dropped 11 in a row April 28-May 19.

The Devil Rays will try to stop the streak Friday night against Toronto.

Â"There's nothing to yell and scream about,Â" Tampa Bay anager Larry Rothschild said.

Â"I'm not discouraged about the way we played. There were things we could have done better, and at times the pitching didn't hold up... But (the Yankees) are a heck of a team.Â"

The Devil Rays, who haven't won at Tropicana Field since beating Anaheim on May 21, also saw Jose Canseco's streak of 13 consecutive series with at least homer come to an end.

Canseco, whose 27 homers lead the majors, went 0-for-3 Thursday night and 0-for-12 in the series.

New York took a 2-0 lead on O'Neill's RBI single in the first and the solo homer by Chili Davis, his 11th, with two outs in the fourth.

The Devils Rays overcame the deficit with an unearned run that scored on Pettitte's balk with two outs in the fourth and Miguel Cairo's run-scoring double that made it 2-2 in the fifth.

The Yankees rallied to win after falling behind in the sixth when Pettitte walked four batters and allowed a run-scoring by Dave Martinez that gave Tampa Bay a short-lived 3-2 lead.

Â"I got out of sync in the sixth,Â" said Pettitte, who threw 28 pitches in the inning 20 of them balls. Â"It was kind of frustrating in the fifth, thinking I was going to get out of that, and then balking the run in. But, all in all, I'm happy.Â"

Shane Spencer began the New York seventh with a single and scored when Brosius lined a Rekar pitch into the gap in left-center for his big double. Joe Girardi's bunt moved Brosius to third before Knoblauch snapped the 3-3 tie.

Notes: Yankees owner George Steinbrenner attended the series finale after missing the first two games ... Rothschild gave Fred McGriff, who needed to take care of some personal business, the night off ... New York recalled outfielder Ricky Ledee from Triple-A Columbus and sent outfielder Tony Tarasco outright to the minor league affiliate ... Yankees third base coach Willie Randolph missed the game to attend his son's high school graduation ... The last AL team to lose 10 or more consecutive home games was the 1996 Detroit Tigers, who lost their last 17 of the season. The Tigers also lost 11 straight at home in April and May of that year. The only other AL team lose 10-plus consecutive at home this decade was the 1994 Boston Red Sox, who dropped 12 straight ... Canseco's streak of homering in 13 consecutive series tied Roger Maris for the second-longest in AL history. Sammy Sosa holds the NL mark of 15, while Mark McGwire set the major league mark of 20 with Oakland in 1996.