Major League Baseball

Yankees ramp up playoff push with win over Orioles

Published Aug. 31, 2013 4:43 a.m. ET

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In a jarring seven-pitch sequence in the fifth inning, the rejuvenated New York Yankees showed just how dangerous an opponent they could be during the stretch run.

Ichiro Suzuki hit a two-run homer and Robinson Cano singled in two runs during a five-run fifth that helped the Yankees pick up an ineffective CC Sabathia and beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-5 Friday night.

''If I could keep these guys in the game we got a good chance of winning,'' Sabathia said. ''I was barely hanging on there but these guys come up with a bunch of runs.''

And quickly.

Trailing by two runs in the fifth against Miguel Gonzalez, Curtis Granderson led off with a double on the fourth pitch of the inning. Two pitches later, Mark Reynolds doubled to left-center field. Then on Gonzalez's next offering, Suzuki knocked a fastball into the seats in right-center for a 5-4 lead, and New York never trailed again.

By adding Alfonso Soriano and getting back Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter, manager Joe Girardi can bat Granderson sixth and Reynolds, another slugging newcomer, seventh in a suddenly-potent Yankees lineup.

''We feel our lineup is a lot deeper,'' Girardi said. ''It definitely helped.''

Soriano connected for a two-run shot in the fourth off Gonzalez (8-7), and Rodriguez had an RBI single in the seventh inning of a late August game that felt more like October.

In a playoff-race twist, Reynolds had three hits, including an RBI double when the Yankees batted around in the fifth. Last year he helped Baltimore reach its first postseason since 1997 with seven homers and 11 RBIs in seven games against New York beginning on Aug. 31.

An August pickup by New York from Cleveland this season, Reynolds was right in the mix as the Yankees gained ground in the wild-card race. They began the day 1 1/2 games behind the Orioles, who trailed Oakland by 3 1/2 for the second AL wild card.

''It makes it fun,'' Reynolds said. ''I have so many good friends over there. Last year we wanted nothing more than to kick these guys' tails, now I want nothing more than to beat them.''

Sabathia (12-11) lasted just 5 2-3 innings and yielded five runs and seven hits. In his last eight games, he has a 7.39 ERA.

Girardi then relied on the majors' best bullpen since Aug. 16 (1.14 ERA) to hold off Baltimore. Shawn Kelley, Boone Logan and David Robertson, who got four outs, paved the way for Mariano Rivera. Robertson got more than three outs for the second time this week and for the third time all year. Rivera was perfect in the ninth for his 39th save.

''Right now it's getting tight. We need to win every opportunity we can. I was prepared to come in the seventh inning,'' said Robertson, the Yankees' primary setup man.

Gonzalez, making his first start since Aug. 20, is winless in his last six decisions as a starter. Coming in, though, he had a 2.20 ERA over five starts in the Bronx.

''It wasn't just Miguel tonight,'' Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. ''He pitched as well as you'd want but couldn't get over the hump.''

Both starters were locked in early. Sabathia retired his first 10 batters and Gonzalez 10 of 11, allowing only a walk in the third - erased on a double play.

But it turned ugly quickly.

After Sabathia struck out Nate McLouth to open the fourth, Manny Machado laced an opposite-field liner that bounced over the wall in foul territory in right field for his 46th double. He advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Chris Davis' single.

Gonzalez got two quick outs in the bottom half before walking Cano. Soriano then hit his 11th homer in 27 August games to put New York up 2-1.

''He's playing like an MVP, when you look at the month of August,'' Girardi said. ''He's been a complete player for us.''

Nick Markakis led off the fifth with a single and Danny Valencia sent a drive into the Orioles' bullpen in left-center for a 3-2 lead and his sixth home run. Alexi Casilla walked, stole second and was sacrificed to third by Taylor Teagarden. One out later, Machado drove in Casilla with a single.

In the bottom half, after Suzuki homered to right-center to end a homerless drought of 131 at-bats, Austin Romine kept it going with a double to right field. Brett Gardner singled and Jeter walked to load the bases and chase Gonzalez. Cano, who missed a game after being hit on the hand by a pitch Tuesday, singled in two more runs for a 7-4 lead.

Gonzalez allowed six hits and seven runs. He walked three.

''I left the ball up and they're a good team, and they take anything you give and try and score runs,'' Gonzalez said. ''It's tough for a pitcher to lose a lead twice - we could have won it but I let them down. I have to go deeper and minimize the big inning.''

NOTES: For the first time this season, 3B Rodriguez and SS Jeter were the starting duo on the left side of the infield at Yankee Stadium. ... The Yankees will push back struggling right-hander Phil Hughes to Monday and start LHP Andy Pettitte on Sunday in the finale against the Orioles. ... Baltimore acquired OF-1B Mike Morse from Seattle for outfield prospect Xavier Avery. A .284 career hitter, Morse slumped to .226 with 13 homers and 27 RBIs in 76 games in his return to Seattle after four years with Washington.

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