The New York Yankees are heading into the weekend trying to widen the gap between themselves and the Boston Red Sox at the top of the AL East with a pivotal four-game series with the third place Tampa Bay Rays from July 7th to July 10th. This is the first meeting between the two division rivals.

• July 7, 2011, Game 1: Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees at Yankees Stadium, Jeff Niemann (3-4) vs. Bartolo Colon (6-3)
• July 8, 2011, Game 2: Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees at Yankees Stadium, Jeremy Hellickson (8-7) vs. Freddy Garcia (7-6)
• July 9, 2011, Game 3: Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees at Yankees Stadium, David Price (8-7) vs. A.J. Burnett (8-7)
• July 10, 2011 Game 4: Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees at Yankees Stadium, James Shields (8-5) vs. C.C. Sabathia (11-4)