AL EAST Williams leads red-hot Yanks past Devil Rays

New York matched its longest winning streak of the year at eight.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Bernie Williams gave Yankees fans a pair of reasons to celebrate his 35th birthday.
Williams homered twice in a game for the first time in more than a year and Ruben Sierra added a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning as the Yankees beat Tampa Bay 6-5 in the opener of a day-night doubleheader. Sierra then drove in three runs as New York won 6-3 to complete the sweep.
With the wins, New York matched its longest winning streak of the year at eight and opened a 51/2-game lead over the second-place Red Sox in the AL East.
"We don't expect them to go away," Williams said between games.
Mike Mussina (17-7) got his 199th win in the nightcap -- matching teammate David Wells -- and improved to 11-3 career against the Devil Rays. Mariano Rivera saved both games.
Williams hit a solo homer on the first pitch he saw from Rob Bell in the second inning, then drove a 2-1 pitch into the first row of the upper deck in the sixth for a 5-4 lead. It was the first multihomer game for Williams since May 17 last year against Minnesota.
Snapping slump
Before his go-ahead homer against Boston last Sunday, Williams had been in a 9-for-60 slump. That was the first of four home runs he's hit on the homestand, which have boosted his season total to 14. In Saturday's opener he had his first three-hit game since Aug. 23, and he had two hits and an RBI in the second game, giving him RBIs in eight straight games.
After Aubrey Huff's single tied the score 5-all in the eighth against Gabe White (2-0), Sierra led off the bottom half with a homer to center off Joe Kennedy (3-12). Juan Rivera was the right fielder in New York's original lineup, but Torre put Sierra in to get him some at-bats, and he responded with his first home run since July 18.
Strong showing
Sierra had an RBI single in the first inning of the night game as the Yankees overcame a 2-0 deficit against Carlos Reyes (0-3), then hit a two-run double in the sixth off Jon Switzer.
Torre probably would have replaced Sierra with Juan Rivera in right field to start the eighth inning of the opener, but put Rivera in left after Hideki Matsui bruised his knee on the final play of the seventh.
Matsui was hurt when he hit a ball to the right side with two outs and the bases loaded. Kennedy picked up the ball and went for the tag near the foul line, colliding with Matsui's left knee. X-rays were negative. Matsui went 0-for-4 in the second game, remaining stuck on 99 RBIs.
Mussina allowed two runs -- one earned -- and six hits in seven innings, and Rivera got three outs for his second save of the day, his 37th in 43 chances this season. Jason Giambi hit his 38th homer, also giving him 99 RBIs.
In the opener, Jeff Weaver made first start since Aug. 18 and allowed singles to his first three batters, falling behind 2-0 in the first.
First Game
TAMPA BAYNEW YORK
abrhbiabrhbi
Crwfrd lf5220ASrano 2b5000
Lugo ss4122NJhnsn 1b4010
Huff rf5031Jeter ss2000
Baldelli cf5120JaGbi dh4000
TLee 1b4020BWllms cf3232
Lforest c2002Matsui lf4120
Piatt ph1010JRivra lf0000
Vlentin c1000Sierra rf4111
Gomes dh3000KGarca rf0000
AMrtin dh1000ABoone 3b4221
MAndn 2b5120Flherty c3011
Sndbrg 3b4000
Totals405145Totals336105
Tampa Bay201001010--5
New York03010101x--6
E--Crawford (3), Flaherty (2), GWhite (1). LOB--Tampa Bay 12, New York 7. 2B--TLee (35), Piatt (12), MAnderson (25), Matsui (42), ABoone (11), Flaherty (7). HR--BWilliams 2 (14), Sierra (8). SB--Crawford (49), Sierra (2), ABoone 2 (8). S--Lugo. SF--Laforest.
IPHRERBBSO
Tampa Bay
RBell5 1-385424
Gaudin110002
JKennedy L,3-121 2-311102
New York
Weaver593312
Heredia1 1-341100
Nelson000010
GWhite W,2-01 2-311001
MRivera S,36100000
Nelson pitched to 1 batter in the 7th. HBP--by JKennedy (BWilliams), by Gaudin (Jeter). PB--Laforest. Umpires--Home, Greg Gibson; First, James Hoye; Second, Gary Darling; Third, Jay Klemm. T--3:02.
Second Game
TAMPA BAYNEW YORK
abrhbiabrhbi
Crwfrd lf5120Jeter ss2110
Lugo ss4120BWllms cf4121
Huff 1b4000JaGbi 1b3221
Baldelli cf4001Posada c2111
TLee dh3112Sierra dh4023
Rolls rf4010Matsui lf4000
MAndn 2b4020ABoone 3b3000
Hall c3000JRivra rf4010
Sndbrg 3b2000EWilsn 2b4110
Lforest ph1000
Totals34383Totals306106
Tampa Bay200000010--3
New York20102100x--6
E--JaGiambi (4). DP--Tampa Bay 1, New York 1. LOB--Tampa Bay 7, New York 6. 2B--Sierra (16), EWilson (9). HR--TLee (17), JaGiambi (38). SB--Crawford (50). CS--Jeter (5). SF--TLee, Posada.
IPHRERBBSO
Tampa Bay
CReyes L,0-34 2-365531
Switzer3 1-341123
New York
Mussina W,17-7762121
Nelson111100
MRivera S,37110002
WP--Switzer. Balk--CReyes. Umpires--Home, Marvin Hudson; First, Gary Darling; Second, Jay Klemm; Third, James Hoye. T--2:52. A--19,599.