Yankees 9, Rays 4: Lyle Overbay and Jayson Nix each recorded a pair of hits and two RBIs as visiting New York took an eight-run lead and held on to claim the series opener.

Brett Gardner belted a two-run homer and Chris Stewart registered two hits and an RBI, but the Yankees suffered the loss of outfielder Curtis Granderson with a fractured knuckle on his left pinky finger. New York starter David Phelps (3-2) gave up four runs and six hits over 7 2/3 innings before being hit on the right arm with a Ben Zobrist line drive.

Kelly Johnson collected two hits and Matt Joyce doubled home a run for Tampa Bay, which has dropped three of its last four. Rays starter Roberto Hernandez (2-5) struggled for his second straight start, yielding five runs on six hits and three walks over four innings.

Overbay doubled to the right-field wall to knock in a pair of runs in the second and Nix singled him home for a 3-0 lead. Stewart singled with two outs before Gardner lined the first pitch he saw from Hernandez into the right-field seats for a 5-0 lead in the fourth.

The Yankees were hit by two pitches, had a walk and three hits – including Stewart’s RBI single – in the fifth to score three more times for an 8-0 advantage. Phelps retired the first 13 batters before James Loney doubled into the right-field corner.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Granderson was hit on the hand by a Cesar Ramos pitch in the top of the fifth and is expected to miss a minimum of four weeks. Ichiro Suzuki replaced him in right field. … Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria was 0-for-4, ending his 16-game hitting streak. … The Yankees activated RHP Ivan Nova from the disabled list and sent RHP Dellin Betances to Triple-A Scranton. Nova will begin in the bullpen, with Vidal Nuno scheduled to get the start Saturday.