ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- By no means had CC Sabathia pitched well in 2015, allowing at least seven hits in each of his first six starts before Monday night's game at Tropicana Field.

But the New York Yankees came through with the run support Sabathia has lacked all season, hitting a season-high five home runs in an easy 11-5 win against the Tampa Bay Rays.

"We scored 11 runs tonight. We had scored 13 runs in his first six starts, so our boys did what they needed to do," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "A great offensive night for a lot of guys."

The Yankees (21-12) had a slow start against Rays starter Alex Colome, their only hit in the first three innings coming on a solo home run in the first by designated hitter Alex Rodriguez, his eighth of the year and No. 662 of his career.

The Rays had answered with a run in the bottom of the first, on designated hitter Logan Forsythe's RBI double, but the Yankees caught a break when right fielder Steven Souza was thrown out at the plate trying to score a second run with one out.

"That was a big play, just getting that out, being able to settle into the inning -- it was a huge play at that point," said Sabathia, who hadn't won in more than a year, since April 24, 2014, a span of seven starts. "I felt pretty good tonight coming out. For us to win a game when I started is huge. It's the first game in the series, against a team in our division. It's good to get this win."

The game drew an announced crowd of just 10,619, the lowest ever for a Yankees game at Tropicana Field in the Rays' 18 seasons. It's also the smallest crowd the Yankees have played to in any regular-season game since a 2003 makeup home game against Toronto that drew 8,848.

The Yankees got three-run home runs from third baseman Chase Headley and left fielder Brett Gardner, and a two-run shot by first baseman Mark Teixeira.

The Rays (17-16) had held opponents to less than 10 hits in an MLB-high and club-record 19 straight games, but the Yankees got 14 on Monday.

"Tonight obviously was a rough night for us," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "We liked what Alex had done. He's thrown the ball really well. Tonight wasn't maybe his sharpest, but he's had two really good starts before this."

Just as Sabathia got his first win, Colome (2-1) took his first loss, his season ERA tripling from 1.80 to 5.63 ERA after allowing eight earned runs on 11 hits.

"For me, I made good pitches. I threw strikes," Colome said. "There's nothing I can do. I threw strikes. I can't do anything different. Maybe they knew what pitch I threw. ... I felt good. My arm felt good. I did what I wanted."

The Yankees added their only run not off a homer in the seventh inning, on a Headley sacrifice fly, and the Rays got back-to-back solo home runs off Sabathia in the seventh, from designated hitter Chase Forsythe and left fielder Joey Butler.

The Yankees had matched their season high with three home runs by the fifth inning, helping Sabathia with a 5-1 lead.

Right fielder Carlos Beltran and Teixeira singled in the fourth, and both scored on a three-run home run by Headley (his fourth of the year) to right field to give New York a 4-1 lead.

Beltran, who had zero home runs in his first 26 games this season, homered for the second game in a row, a solo shot that gave the Yankees a 5-1 lead in the fifth.

While the Yankees got to Colome for eight hits in the first five innings, Sabathia found his rhythm, holding the Rays to just two hits entering the sixth. Sabathia came in with an 0-5 record and a 5.45 ERA, having allowed at least seven hits in each of his first six starts.

NOTES: Rays LHP Jake McGee (offseason elbow surgery) made a fifth rehab appearance Monday, pitching one scoreless inning for Triple-A Durham. 2B Nick Franklin (oblique strain) is 5-for-15 through five rehab games for Durham. ... RHP Michael Pineda tied the second-best Yankees total ever with his 16 strikeouts Sunday against the Orioles. He also matched the most K's by a major-leaguer since Detroit's Anibel Sanchez had 17 in April 2013. Pineda became the first Yankees pitcher to fan 16-plus without issuing a walk. ... Yankees RHP Dellin Betances and LHP Andrew Miller are the only teammates to pitch 15-plus innings in their team's first 32 games without giving up an earned run, per Elias Sports Bureau. ... Hall of Famer Yogi Berra, a Yankees legend, celebrates his 90th birthday Tuesday.