Tampa Bay @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 3, 2015 ) Tampa Bay 5, NY Yankees 7

After providing their own fireworks before Independence Day, the New York Yankees look to secure a victory in their three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays when the teams reconvene in the Bronx on Saturday afternoon. Mark Teixeira went deep for the second time in three contests and Brian McCann belted a three-run homer in the 12th inning as New York rallied for a 7-5 triumph on Friday.

The walk-off win was the first of the season for the Yankees, who moved one game ahead of Baltimore in the American League East. Chase Headley, who has recorded five hits in his last two contests to reach 1,000 for his career, struck out in all of his previous three at-bats against Saturday starter Nathan Karns. While New York opened its six-game homestand in style, Tampa Bay matched a season high with its sixth straight loss and 10th in 12 outings overall. Evan Longoria ripped an RBI double as he attempts to swing his way out of a 5-for-23 slump but is just 1-for-17 with five strikeouts in his career versus Saturday starter Michael Pineda.

TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, FS1

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Nathan Karns (4-4, 3.26 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Michael Pineda (8-5, 4.08)

Karns recorded his fourth consecutive strong outing on Monday but fell to 1-1 in that stretch after allowing two runs and striking out seven over six innings in a 7-1 setback to Cleveland. The 27-year-old looks to rebound versus New York, against which he gave up two runs in five frames of Tampa Bay's 3-2 triumph on May 13. Karns has pitched well on the road, posting a 2-0 mark with a 2.25 ERA and 0.96 WHIP while holding the opposition to a 1.73 batting average.

Pineda suffered his second straight loss and third in four outings despite pitching a complete game against Houston on Sunday. The 26-year-old Dominican rebounded from a dismal outing versus Philadelphia on June 22 to allow just two earned runs and strike out eight in the setback to the Astros. Pineda owns a 2-1 career record against Tampa Bay but settled for a no-decision in his last meeting despite yielding two runs in 5 2/3 innings of the Rays' 3-2 victory on April 29.

WALK-OFFS

1. Veteran OF Grady Sizemore has five hits in his last two contests and is 9-for-22 with four RBIs in six games since being signed by Tampa Bay in mid-June.

2. New York SS Didi Gregorius recorded two hits in the series opener, marking his fifth multi-hit performance in the last eight games.

3. Rays LF David DeJesus (2-for-28) and 2B Logan Forsythe (1-for-19) are mired in pronounced slumps at the plate.

PREDICTION: Yankees 5, Rays 2