NEW YORK _ After delivering the walk-off home run Thursday, Brett Gardner came to the plate with the bases loaded and nobody out in the ninth inning Saturday.
As chants of "Let's Go Yankees!" poured from the crowd, Gardner smacked a single up the middle for the walk-off single off left-hander Dan Jennings as the Yankees beat the Rays, 5-4, in front of 43,015 at Yankee Stadium in 3 hours, 22 minutes.
Chase Headley started off the ninth inning with a walk and pinch-runner Jacoby Ellsbury stole second. Todd Frazier was then hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second with nobody out. Ronald Torreyes then bunted a ball down to the left side that pitcher Brad Boxberger watched roll to his right to load the bases.
Aroldis Chapman pitched a scoreless top of the ninth and recorded his fourth win of the season.
The Yankees have now won six straight games and eight of their last nine and before the game, manager Joe Girardi spoke about a more energized clubhouse.
"I think it has to do with a couple things," Girardi said. "I think it's the youth in there and I also think it's the winning. Winning always energizes a club and it's a good feeling, especially when you've had big hits and big performances."
Headley, who didn't get the start against the Rays' left-handed Blake Snell, gave the Yankees their first lead of the game after Tampa Bay turned to its bullpen in the sixth inning. Headley drove a 1-and-0 pitch 377 feet for a two-run home run off reliever Sergio Romo. The shot over the left-center field fence gave the Yankees 4-3 advantage. It was Headley's fifth home run of the season and first in 124 at-bats.
The Yankees couldn't hold the lead from there as David Robertson surrendered a tying home run in the eighth to Lucas Duda, the second home run in as many days for the former Met traded to the Rays Thursday.
But Headley, who has had his play time threatened with rumors of potentials trades, has played better lately. He entered Saturday with a 317/.364/.415 slash line in July. The inning following Headley's homer, Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle pitched himself in and out of trouble. After surrendering back-to-back pinch hits singles _ the first to Mallex Smith and second to Logan Morrison _ to put runners on first and third base, the right-hander struck out Steven Souza Jr. and got Evan Longoria to pop out behind the plate to end the threat and keep a 4-3 lead.
The Yankees (56-46) entered Saturday with a half-game lead over the Red Sox, their first time alone atop the American League East in a little over a month (June 28).
Similarly to how the Yankees opened the game the night before, Tampa Bay's Peter Bourjos gave the Rays the early advantage with a leadoff home run.
The Yankees answered in the second inning, starting with Gary Sanchez's leadoff ground-rule double that bounced over the side fence down the right-field line.
After Matt Holliday grounded out to advance Sanchez to third, Didi Gregorius delivered the tying sacrifice fly to centerfield.
Duda brought in his second RBI in as many games after with a sacrifice fly to drive in Bourjos to give the Rays a 2-1 lead in the third inning. But the Yankees responded again, tying the score in the fourth inning on Sanchez's leadoff 387-foot solo home run on a 2-and-2 slider to left field. It was Sanchez's 16th home run of the season.
Souza Jr. gave the Rays another lead with a 348-foot home run, just staying fair down the left-field foul pole and going into the second row of the stands.
Yankees pitcher Caleb Smith, making his second career start and first at Yankee Stadium, lasted only 31/3 innings the day after his 26th birthday. He surrendered two runs on three hits with three walks and four strikeouts, throwing 71 pitches.
