Game 5: Yankees lose 6-3

Edwin Jackson and the Tampa Bay Rays were able to fend off the Yankees' bats in their 6-3 victory of the Yankees Saturday afternoon.

Jackson (1-0) allowed only one earned run and five hits over six innings. He also struck out four batters and walked only two. The run came in the first inning after Johnny Damon led off with a walk. After Derek Jeter struck out and Bobby Abreu flied out, Alex Rodriguez doubled to left field to score Damon. Rodriguez went 2-4 with an RBI.

The Yankees held a 1-0 lead until the top of the third inning. Andy Pettitte (0-1) allowed a lead off single to Akinori Iwamura. Carl Crawford then reached base after Shelley Duncan, while trying to get a force at second, rushed and threw the ball into centerfield. Following Carlos Pena's hit by pitch, B.J. Upton grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Iwamura. Replays showed that Pena beat the throw to second base, but was called out anyway. Jonny Gomes later hit a sacrifice fly to give the Rays a 2-1 lead.

The Rays took a 5-1 lead in the fifth inning after Gomes hit a three-run home run off the top of the left field wall. Earlier in the game, Gomes hit a fly ball off the top of the right field wall and was thrown out in between first and second after thinking the ball was a home run. He finished his afternoon with four RBI.

Pettitte gave up five earned runs and eight hits over five innings of work in the loss. He struck out three, walked two and allowed one home run in his first start of the season.

Brian Bruney was solid in his two innings of relief. He struck out four batters and retired all six batters he faced. Ross Ohlendorf gave up a solo home run to Willy Aybar in his two innings of work.

The Yankees staged a late rally in the eighth inning after loading the bases with no outs. Following a Robinson Cano strike out, Jorge Posada hit a two-run single to center to cut the Rays' lead to 6-3. Posada finished the day going 2-4 with those two RBI. This proved to be the final runs they'd score, as Hideki Matsui struck out and Shelley Duncan grounded out.

Troy Percival pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his first save of the season.

The Yankees drop to 2-3 on the young season, while the Rays improve to 3-1.

Chien-Ming Wang will face James Shields at 1:05 p.m. tomorrow afternoon, as the Yankees hope to rebound after dropping the first two games of this series.

(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)