Hammel (6-2) allowed two earned runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out six, to get the win Wednesday. He threw 109 pitches and was removed with two outs in the seventh inning with the only Yankees' player to do anything against him coming up. Curtis Granderson was 3 for 3 with a homer for the Yankees with Hammel in the game, so manager Buck Showalter removed him just before Granderson's fourth at-bat.

Hammel, who's ERA is 5.37, will make his next scheduled start Monday at Washington.

"It's not mechanical at all," Hammel said, per MASNsports.com. "You try to mess with things that are pretty sound, you'll get yourself in even more trouble."

Hammel, who will be on the mound Wednesday against the Yankees, said in a recent side session he worked on his fastball command and keeping his pitches down in the strike zone to induce more groundball outs.

"This last (side session), all I did was throw fastballs, because that is what I've been struggling with, the fastball. Sometimes you have to go back to basics," he said. "It is not necessarily the (lack of) sink, but my pitches are up in the zone. Two-seamer has been good at times, but the misses overall with all pitches have just been too hittable up in the zone and badly executed. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with my pitches, but they've just been too hittable right now."

Hammel owns a better history against the Rays than he does the Padres. He's 1-0 with a 3.72 ERA over two career starts versus Tampa Bay, his former team. 

Hammel is coming off his worst start of the season Friday, allowing six runs on eight hits in four innings at Minnesota. He has won five times in eight starts, but he also has a 4.93 ERA and has yet to pitch at least seven innings.