Tampa Bay @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( May 3, 2014 ) Tampa Bay 3, NY Yankees 9

Mark Teixeira missed most of the 2013 season and more than two weeks last month due to injury, but the New York Yankees first baseman is reminding observers what he can do when healthy. Teixeira has homered in four of his last five games, including a two-run shot that ignited Saturday's comeback victory for the Yankees, who will host the Tampa Bay Rays in Sunday's finale of the three-game series. Teixeira has five homers on the season, all coming in the past eight games.

"It's been a struggle the last year coming back from this injury, but so far the results have been good this year," said Teixeira, who was limited to 15 games last season before undergoing wrist surgery. New York halted its own three-game skid and ended the three-game winning streak of Tampa Bay, which has played 41 innings over the past three days. The beleaguered Rays' staff could use a well-pitched game from Erik Bedard, who will oppose fellow left-hander CC Sabathia in the rubber match of the series.

TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, Sun Sports (Tampa Bay), YES (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays LH Erik Bedard (0-1, 5.52 ERA) vs. Yankees LH CC Sabathia (3-3, 5.11)

Bedard is coming off the best of his three starts in his last time out, permitting one run on four hits over five innings at Boston. The 35-year-old Canadian didn't exactly set the bar high in his previous two outings, allowing eight runs and walking six over a combined 7 2/3 innings. He faced the Yankees in his first start of the season, lasting only 3 2/3 innings and giving up four runs in an eventual 11-5 Tampa Bay victory.

Sabathia had appeared to turned the corner in back-to-back victories - albeit helped by 24 runs from his teammates - before getting knocked around for four runs on nine hits in a season-low five innings in a loss to Seattle on Tuesday. Sabathia had his best outing of the season in a 10-2 win over the Rays on April 17, going seven innings and yielding one earned run. He is 12-13 with a 3.71 ERA and two shutouts against Tampa Bay.

WALK-OFFS

1. Rays 1B James Loney is 11-for-19 during a five-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 12 straight at Yankee Stadium.

2. Yankees CF Jacoby Ellsbury is 7-for-10 in the series to give him an American League-best six three-hit games.

3. Rays RF Wil Myers had his in all 12 career games at Yankee Stadium, including a grand slam off Sabathia on June 22.

PREDICTION: Yankees 6, Rays 3