On the Yankees beat

Hey everybody, welcome to today's live blog. Yankees are down in Tampa Bay for the first of three games. If this team is going to make a move, now would be a nice time to do it. The first-place Rays (84-51) don't seem to be slowing down, though, and they've got Matt Garza on the hill to counter Mike Mussina tonight. Back with the first pitch!

Top 1st -- Derek Jeter hit a ball hard to right field but it was right at Gross. They go down in order to begin the first.

Bottom 1st -- Old friend Cliff Floyd grounded out to Cano to end the inning. No score after the first.

Top 2nd -- B.J. Upton just made one of the best catches of the season on a fly ball by A-Rod to straight away center. Full-extension, full-speed catch in the air right before hitting the wall -- which he scaled. Unreal. Huge break for Garza.

Bottom 2nd -- Rays make a huge base-running mistake and Mussina got out of a bit of a jam. Still scoreless through two.

Top 3rd -- More nice defense from the Rays, and solid pitching from Garza has the Yankees still scoreless.

Bottom 3rd -- Upton and Pena both got base hits off of Mussina in the third. Upton scored on a base hit by Floyd. Rays 1, Yankees 0.

Top 4th -- Jeter scored on a sacrifice fly ball by Jason Giambi to tie the score at 1. (A-Rod walked with Jeter on third) Then Xavier Nady bludgeoned a fastball to left to score A-Rod and make the score 3-1. Yankees 3, Rays 1

Bottom 4th -- A-Rod started a double play for the first two outs, and a 5-3 play to end the inning and get Mussina out of a bit of a jam.

Top 5th -- Molina laid down a nice sacrifice bunt to move Cano to third, but it wasn't needed. Not with Johnny Damon's triple coming up next, which made the score 4-1. With one out, Jeter hit a groundball to score Damon. Yankees 5, Rays 1.

Bottom 5th -- Mussina still going strong. Floyd grounds out to end the inning.

Top 6th -- A-Rod scores on a single by Matsui to make the score 6-1. Yankees offense rolling. Yankees 6, Rays 1

Bottom 6th -- Mussina set the Rays down in order again. Is there a comeback player of year award?

Top 7th -- Jeter hit into a double play for the first and second outs. Abreu struck out looking to end the inning. Time to stretch.

Bottom 7th -- Moose gave up two base hits and a run, and so the Yankees came in with Damaso Marte. Marte gave up a hit to Iwamura, but struck out Upton and Pena looking. Joba came in and threw one pitch to Rocco Baldelli. Inning over. Yankees 6, Rays 2

Top 8th -- Long home run by A-Rod makes the score 7-2. One of our readers astutely points out that while this big hit, like so many of A-Rod's big hits, came in "garbage time," it keeps Tampa Bay from tying the game on a grand slam. So true.

Bottom 8th -- Joba gets out of a jam with two on and one out and get some well-deserved congratulations in the dugout. I feel like people forget that Joba is so young. He's such a gamer that I think that fact gets lost in the fray.

Top 9th -- Well the Yankees can't get anymore insurance runs but with a five-run lead, they seem pretty comfortable. Let's see who comes in to pitch the ninth.

Bottom 9th -- Dan Giese comes on for the Yanks, pitches a scoreless ninth and ends the game. FINAL Yankees 7, Rays 2