Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Jordan Walden (left) and catcher Evan Gattis celebrate their win against the New York Mets at Citi Field in New York. PICTURE: USA TODAY Sports


Agencies/St Petersburg (Florida)


James Loney and the Tampa Bay Rays ended their four-game slide with a late-inning comeback.
Loney drove in four runs and the Rays overcame a four-run deficit to beat the Yankees 11-5 on Friday night, snapping New York’s five-game winning streak.
Pinch-hitter Desmond Jennings had an RBI single before Loney’s two-run single off Adam Warren (0-1) in the seventh inning gave Tampa Bay a 6-5 lead. The Rays had been outscored 32-7 during their skid.
“I like to believe this is a definite reboot kind of a game,” manager Joe Maddon said.
Sean Rodriguez hit a two-run homer during a five-run eighth that made it 11-5. Wil Myers, who finished with three RBIs, added a two-run single.
Yankees reliever Cesar Cabral was ejected by plate umpire Joe West after hitting his third batter, Logan Forsythe, in the eighth after Myers’ hit. The left-hander earlier plunked Evan Longoria and Loney.
“I didn’t try to hit anybody,” said Cabral, designated for assignment after the game. “It happens sometimes.” Maddon and Myers both agreed.
“A couple things just got away from him. ... Not a big deal,” Myers said.
“I can definitely relate to not being on your game.” Longoria reached base in all five plate appearances. He had three hits, a walk and was hit near the left knee by Cabral’s pitch.
Scott Sizemore hit a three-run double and Brett Gardner had an RBI grounder as the Yankees took a 4-0 lead in the second.
Erik Bedard allowed four runs and six hits in 3 2/3 innings for the Rays. With Matt Moore (left elbow), Alex Cobb (strained left oblique) and Jeremy Hellickson (right elbow surgery) all on the disabled list, Bedard became the seventh starting pitcher used by Tampa Bay this season.
New York starter Hiroki Kuroda gave up three runs and seven hits over 5 2/3 innings.
Center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury took an extra-base hit away from Tampa Bay’s Ben Zobrist with a leaping catch at the wall in the fourth. Later in the inning, Loney cut the Rays’ deficit to 4-2 with a two-run double.
Myers snapped a 10-game RBI drought with a sixth-inning single that pulled the Rays to 4-3. New York went ahead 5-3 in the seventh on Alfonso Soriano’s run-scoring single off Jake McGee (1-0).
New York manager Joe Girardi won a replay challenge in the second inning. After Sizemore’s hit, Ichiro Suzuki was called out at first after laying down a bunt. Following a 47-second delay, umpires ruled Suzuki was safe on the play.
Yankees reliever David Phelps left in the eighth after getting hit in the stomach by Ryan Hanigan’s liner. He walked off the field and was replaced by Matt Thornton.