By Tim Britton / MLB.com NEW YORK -- Curtis Granderson slugged two home runs and drove in five runs on Monday night to lead the Yankees past the Rays in the opener of their critical four-game series, 8-6. On a night when the organization unveiled a permanent monument to late owner George M. Steinbrenner III in center field, it was Granderson's two blasts to right that extended the Yankees' lead over the Rays in the American League East to 1 1/2 games. Granderson opened the scoring in the third inning with a two-run homer into the Yankees' bullpen off Tampa Bay starter Matt Garza. In the sixth, after the Yankees had just retaken a 5-4 lead, Granderson piled on by greeting reliever Grant Balfour with a three-run shot high off the right-field foul pole. The five RBIs tied a career high for the center fielder, who now has 21 home runs this season -- 11 of which have come since Aug. 12, when he reworked his swing with hitting coach Kevin Long. New York's four-run sixth matched Tampa Bay's top half of the inning, when the Rays broke through against Ivan Nova and the Yankees' bullpen to tie the game. Nova had allowed only one hit through five innings, but he loaded the bases in the sixth on a walk and two singles. A catcher's interference and double-play groundout scored two runs before Boone Logan surrendered a two-out RBI single to Dan Johnson and Chad Gaudin walked B.J. Upton to force in another run. The rookie Nova allowed three runs on three hits in 5 2/3 innings, while Garza gave up seven runs (five earned) in five-plus frames for Tampa Bay. The Yankees have now scored 17 runs (15 earned) off Garza in 16 2/3 innings this season. Not surprisingly, they've won all three games he's started against them. Most of the Yankees' offensive damage came from the trio of Francisco Cervelli, Derek Jeter and Granderson, hitting ninth through second in the order. They combined to knock out seven hits, drive in six runs and score seven runs.
