AL: NY YANKEES at TORONTO <div class="pre">AL AT TORONTO - MID INNING UPDATE PLAY: C Janssen relieved B Wolfe. SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS CURRENT SCORE: NY YANKEES 5 TORONTO 4 TOP, 9TH DUE UP FOR NY YANKEES: A Phillips (.293, 0-FOR-3)</div>
AL: NY YANKEES at TORONTO <div class="pre">AL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - NY YANKEES 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 5 9 0 TORONTO 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 4 8 0 (BOT 9) CURRENT PITCHERS: NYY - LUIS VIZCAINO TOR - CASEY JANSSEN DUE UP FOR TORONTO: A RIOS (.302, 2-FOR-4) V WELLS (.259, 1-FOR-4, RBI) F THOMAS (.258, 2-FOR-4, 2 RBI)</div>
AL: NY YANKEES at TORONTO <div class="pre">NY YANKEES (5) VS TORONTO (4) - MID 9TH - IN PROGRESS NY YANKEES ab r h rbi bb so lob avg J Damon lf 5 0 2 1 0 0 1 .253 D Jeter ss 4 0 0 0 0 1 3 .327 B Abreu rf 3 1 0 0 1 1 1 .284 A Rodriguez 3b 3 1 2 0 1 0 0 .301 H Matsui dh 4 1 1 1 0 0 2 .293 J Posada c 2 0 0 0 1 1 3 .336 R Cano 2b 4 1 1 2 0 2 3 .308 A Phillips 1b 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .291 M Cabrera cf 4 1 3 1 0 0 0 .298 Totals 33 5 9 5 3 5 15 BATTING: 2B - R Cano (33, S Downs). 3B - M Cabrera (6, J Litsch). RBI - J Damon (41), H Matsui (79), R Cano 2 (65), M Cabrera (49). 2-out RBI - M Cabrera. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - A Phillips 1, D Jeter 1. GIDP - B Abreu, J Posada, R Cano. Team LOB - 5. FIELDING: DP: 1 (D Jeter-R Cano-A Phillips). TORONTO ab r h rbi bb so lob avg R Johnson lf 3 1 0 0 2 0 4 .258 A Rios rf 4 1 2 0 0 1 2 .302 V Wells cf 4 0 1 1 0 2 3 .259 F Thomas dh 4 0 2 2 0 1 3 .258 T Glaus 3b 4 0 0 0 0 2 4 .255 A Hill 2b 4 1 1 1 0 1 1 .275 C Thigpen c 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 .280 a-G Zaun ph-c 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .249 L Overbay 1b 3 0 0 0 1 1 3 .247 J McDonald ss 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 .276 b-M Stairs ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .286 R Olmedo pr-ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 Totals 31 4 8 4 5 8 20 a-grounded to second for C Thigpen in the 8th; b-hit by pitch for J Mcdonald in the 8th. BATTING: 2B - F Thomas (17, A Pettitte); J McDonald (14, A Pettitte). HR - A Hill (12, 8th inning off L Vizcaino 0 on, 1 Out). RBI - F Thomas 2 (63), V Wells (60), A Hill (59). 2-out RBI - F Thomas 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - R Johnson 2, L Overbay 1, T Glaus 2. GIDP - F Thomas. Team LOB - 9. BASERUNNING: SB - J McDonald (4, 3rd base off A Pettitte/J Posada), R Johnson (4, 2nd base off A Pettitte/J Posada), C Thigpen (1, 2nd base off A Pettitte/J Posada). FIELDING: DP: 3 (A Hill-J McDonald-L Overbay 2, L Overbay-J McDonald-L Overbay). ---------------------------------------------------- NY YANKEES - 001 004 000 -- 5 TORONTO - 002 010 01 -- 4 ---------------------------------------------------- NY YANKEES ip h r er bb so hr era A Pettitte 5 2/3 6 3 3 4 7 0 4.00 J Brower 1/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 L Vizcaino 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 3.97 TORONTO ip h r er bb so hr era J Litsch 5 6 3 3 3 4 0 3.64 S Downs 1 3 2 2 0 1 0 2.49 B Wolfe 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.21 C Janssen 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.26 J Litsch pitched to 2 batters in the 6th. J Brower pitched to 1 batter in the 7th. HBP - J Posada (by B Wolfe); M Stairs (by L Vizcaino). Pitches-strikes: A Pettitte 114-62; J Brower 9-5; L Vizcaino 34-19; J Litsch 92-50; S Downs 20-11; B Wolfe 18-12; C Janssen 11-6. Ground balls-fly balls: A Pettitte 5-5; J Brower 0-1; L Vizcaino 4-1; J Litsch 6-5; S Downs 2-0; B Wolfe 4-2; C Janssen 1-2. Batters faced: A Pettitte 27; J Brower 2; L Vizcaino 8; J Litsch 22; S Downs 6; B Wolfe 6; C Janssen 3. UMPIRES: HP--Mark Carlson. 1B--Angel Hernandez. 2B--Derryl Cousins. 3B--Chad Fairchild. Weather: 82 degrees, sunny. Wind: 7 mph, in from left.</div>
AL: NY YANKEES at TORONTO <div class="pre">AL AT TORONTO - PITCHING CHANGE NYY: MARIANO RIVERA (2-3, 2.89) STARTING THE 9TH CURRENT SCORE: NY YANKEES 5, TORONTO 4 DUE UP FOR TORONTO: A RIOS (.302, 2-FOR-4)</div>
AL: NY YANKEES at TORONTO <div class="pre">AL AT TORONTO - MID INNING UPDATE PLAY: M Rivera relieved L Vizcaino. SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS CURRENT SCORE: NY YANKEES 5 TORONTO 4 BOTTOM, 9TH DUE UP FOR TORONTO: A Rios (.302, 2-FOR-4)</div>
AL: NY YANKEES at TORONTO <div class="pre">AL FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - NY YANKEES 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 5 9 0 TORONTO 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 4 8 0 (FINAL) BATTERIES: NYY - ANDY PETTITTE, JIM BROWER (6TH), LUIS VIZCAINO (7TH), MARIANO RIVERA (9TH) AND JORGE POSADA TOR - JESSE LITSCH, SCOTT DOWNS (6TH), BRIAN WOLFE (7TH), CASEY JANSSEN (9TH) AND CURTIS THIGPEN, GREGG ZAUN (9TH) HOME RUNS: NYY - NONE TOR - AARON HILL (12) OFF LUIS VIZCAINO IN THE 8TH, 0 ON</div>
AL: NY YANKEES at TORONTO <div class="pre">AL FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - NY YANKEES 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 5 9 0 TORONTO 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 4 8 0 (FINAL) BATTERIES: NYY - ANDY PETTITTE, JIM BROWER (6TH), LUIS VIZCAINO (7TH), MARIANO RIVERA (9TH) AND JORGE POSADA TOR - JESSE LITSCH, SCOTT DOWNS (6TH), BRIAN WOLFE (7TH), CASEY JANSSEN (9TH) AND CURTIS THIGPEN, GREGG ZAUN (9TH) WP - ANDY PETTITTE (8-7) LP - SCOTT DOWNS (1-2) SAVE - MARIANO RIVERA (18) HOME RUNS: NYY - NONE TOR - AARON HILL (12) OFF LUIS VIZCAINO IN THE 8TH, 0 ON TIME: 3:17 ATT: 42,714 PROBABLES: NYY - ROGER CLEMENS (3-5, 4.23) TOR - JOSH TOWERS (5-8, 5.17)</div>
AL: NY YANKEES at TORONTO <div class="pre">NY YANKEES (5) VS TORONTO (4) - FINAL NY YANKEES ab r h rbi bb so lob avg J Damon lf 5 0 2 1 0 0 1 .253 D Jeter ss 4 0 0 0 0 1 3 .327 B Abreu rf 3 1 0 0 1 1 1 .284 A Rodriguez 3b 3 1 2 0 1 0 0 .301 H Matsui dh 4 1 1 1 0 0 2 .293 J Posada c 2 0 0 0 1 1 3 .336 R Cano 2b 4 1 1 2 0 2 3 .308 A Phillips 1b 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .291 M Cabrera cf 4 1 3 1 0 0 0 .298 Totals 33 5 9 5 3 5 15 BATTING: 2B - R Cano (33, S Downs). 3B - M Cabrera (6, J Litsch). RBI - J Damon (41), H Matsui (79), R Cano 2 (65), M Cabrera (49). 2-out RBI - M Cabrera. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - A Phillips 1, D Jeter 1. GIDP - B Abreu, J Posada, R Cano. Team LOB - 5. FIELDING: DP: 1 (D Jeter-R Cano-A Phillips). TORONTO ab r h rbi bb so lob avg R Johnson lf 3 1 0 0 2 0 4 .258 A Rios rf 5 1 2 0 0 2 2 .301 V Wells cf 5 0 1 1 0 3 3 .258 F Thomas dh 5 0 2 2 0 2 3 .257 T Glaus 3b 4 0 0 0 0 2 4 .255 A Hill 2b 4 1 1 1 0 1 1 .275 C Thigpen c 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 .280 a-G Zaun ph-c 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .249 L Overbay 1b 3 0 0 0 1 1 3 .247 J McDonald ss 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 .276 b-M Stairs ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .286 R Olmedo pr-ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 Totals 34 4 8 4 5 11 20 a-grounded to second for C Thigpen in the 8th; b-hit by pitch for J Mcdonald in the 8th. BATTING: 2B - F Thomas (17, A Pettitte); J McDonald (14, A Pettitte). HR - A Hill (12, 8th inning off L Vizcaino 0 on, 1 Out). RBI - F Thomas 2 (63), V Wells (60), A Hill (59). 2-out RBI - F Thomas 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - R Johnson 2, L Overbay 1, T Glaus 2. GIDP - F Thomas. Team LOB - 9. BASERUNNING: SB - J McDonald (4, 3rd base off A Pettitte/J Posada), R Johnson (4, 2nd base off A Pettitte/J Posada), C Thigpen (1, 2nd base off A Pettitte/J Posada). FIELDING: DP: 3 (A Hill-J McDonald-L Overbay 2, L Overbay-J McDonald-L Overbay). ---------------------------------------------------- NY YANKEES - 001 004 000 -- 5 TORONTO - 002 010 010 -- 4 ---------------------------------------------------- NY YANKEES ip h r er bb so hr era A Pettitte (W, 8-7) 5 2/3 6 3 3 4 7 0 4.00 J Brower (H, 1) 1/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 L Vizcaino (H, 7) 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 3.97 M Rivera (S, 18) 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 2.83 TORONTO ip h r er bb so hr era J Litsch 5 6 3 3 3 4 0 3.64 S Downs (L, 1-2; B, 2) 1 3 2 2 0 1 0 2.49 B Wolfe 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.21 C Janssen 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.26 J Litsch pitched to 2 batters in the 6th. J Brower pitched to 1 batter in the 7th. HBP - J Posada (by B Wolfe); M Stairs (by L Vizcaino). Pitches-strikes: A Pettitte 114-62; J Brower 9-5; L Vizcaino 34-19; M Rivera 16-11; J Litsch 92-50; S Downs 20-11; B Wolfe 18-12; C Janssen 11-6. Ground balls-fly balls: A Pettitte 5-5; J Brower 0-1; L Vizcaino 4-1; M Rivera 0-0; J Litsch 6-5; S Downs 2-0; B Wolfe 4-2; C Janssen 1-2. Batters faced: A Pettitte 27; J Brower 2; L Vizcaino 8; M Rivera 3; J Litsch 22; S Downs 6; B Wolfe 6; C Janssen 3. UMPIRES: HP--Mark Carlson. 1B--Angel Hernandez. 2B--Derryl Cousins. 3B--Chad Fairchild. T--3:17. Att--42,714. Weather: 82 degrees, sunny. Wind: 7 mph, in from left.</div>
AL: NY YANKEES at TORONTO <div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NY YANKEES (5) AT TORONTO (4) - HOW THEY SCORED ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NY YANKEES 3RD: M Cabrera tripled to right center. J Damon grounded out to second, M Cabrera scored. D Jeter struck out looking. B Abreu struck out swinging. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 1, TORONTO 0. TORONTO 3RD: J McDonald grounded out to shortstop. R Johnson walked. A Rios singled to center, R Johnson to second. V Wells flied out to left. F Thomas doubled to deep left center, R Johnson and A Rios scored. T Glaus struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 1, TORONTO 2. TORONTO 5TH: J McDonald doubled to deep left. R Johnson walked. J McDonald stole third, R Johnson stole second. A Rios struck out swinging. V Wells reached on infield single to shortstop, J McDonald scored, R Johnson to third. F Thomas struck out swinging. T Glaus struck out looking. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 1, TORONTO 3. NY YANKEES 6TH: B Abreu walked. A Rodriguez singled to left, B Abreu to second. S Downs relieved J Litsch. H Matsui singled to left, B Abreu scored, A Rodriguez to third. J Posada struck out swinging. R Cano doubled to deep center, A Rodriguez and H Matsui scored. A Phillips grounded out to shortstop, R Cano to third. M Cabrera singled to right, R Cano scored. J Damon grounded out to second. (4 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TORONTO 3. TORONTO 8TH: T Glaus flied out to center. A Hill homered to left. G Zaun hit for C Thigpen. G Zaun grounded out to second. L Overbay walked. M Stairs hit for J McDonald. M Stairs hit by pitch, L Overbay to second. R Olmedo ran for M Stairs. R Johnson grounded out to pitcher. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TORONTO 4.</div>
AL: NY YANKEES at TORONTO <div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NY YANKEES (5) AT TORONTO (4) - EVENT LOG ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ny Yankees Starting Lineups -- J Damon LF, D Jeter SS, B Abreu RF, A Rodriguez 3B, H Matsui DH, J Posada C, R Cano 2B, A Phillips 1B, M Cabrera CF, A Pettitte LHP. Toronto Starting Lineups -- R Johnson LF, A Rios RF, V Wells CF, F Thomas DH, T Glaus 3B, A Hill 2B, C Thigpen C, L Overbay 1B, J McDonald SS, J Litsch RHP. Umpires -- Mark Carlson (HP), Angel Hernandez (1B), Derryl Cousins (2B), Chad Fairchild (3B). Gametime Weather: 82 degrees, Sunny, wind in from left at 7 mph. NY YANKEES 1ST: J Damon singled to right. D Jeter flied out to center. B Abreu grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, J Damon out at second.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 0, TORONTO 0. TORONTO 1ST: R Johnson grounded out to second. A Rios flied out to center. V Wells struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 0, TORONTO 0. NY YANKEES 2ND: A Rodriguez walked. H Matsui flied out to right. J Posada walked, A Rodriguez to second. R Cano struck out swinging. A Phillips flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 0, TORONTO 0. TORONTO 2ND: F Thomas singled to center. T Glaus lined out to left. A Hill grounded into fielder's choice to third, F Thomas out at second. C Thigpen walked, A Hill to second. L Overbay grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 0, TORONTO 0. NY YANKEES 3RD: M Cabrera tripled to right center. J Damon grounded out to second, M Cabrera scored. D Jeter struck out looking. B Abreu struck out swinging. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 1, TORONTO 0. TORONTO 3RD: J McDonald grounded out to shortstop. R Johnson walked. A Rios singled to center, R Johnson to second. V Wells flied out to left. F Thomas doubled to deep left center, R Johnson and A Rios scored. T Glaus struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 1, TORONTO 2. NY YANKEES 4TH: A Rodriguez singled to center. H Matsui lined out to right. J Posada grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, A Rodriguez out at second.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 1, TORONTO 2. TORONTO 4TH: A Hill flied out to right. C Thigpen grounded out to shortstop. L Overbay flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 1, TORONTO 2. NY YANKEES 5TH: R Cano struck out swinging. A Phillips lined out to center. M Cabrera singled to left. J Damon singled to left, M Cabrera to second. D Jeter grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, J Damon out at second. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 1, TORONTO 2. TORONTO 5TH: J McDonald doubled to deep left. R Johnson walked. J McDonald stole third, R Johnson stole second. A Rios struck out swinging. V Wells reached on infield single to shortstop, J McDonald scored, R Johnson to third. F Thomas struck out swinging. T Glaus struck out looking. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 1, TORONTO 3. NY YANKEES 6TH: B Abreu walked. A Rodriguez singled to left, B Abreu to second. S Downs relieved J Litsch. H Matsui singled to left, B Abreu scored, A Rodriguez to third. J Posada struck out swinging. R Cano doubled to deep center, A Rodriguez and H Matsui scored. A Phillips grounded out to shortstop, R Cano to third. M Cabrera singled to right, R Cano scored. J Damon grounded out to second. (4 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TORONTO 3. TORONTO 6TH: A Hill struck out swinging. C Thigpen singled to left. C Thigpen stole second. L Overbay struck out swinging. J McDonald walked. J Brower relieved A Pettitte. R Johnson lined out to third. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TORONTO 3. NY YANKEES 7TH: B Wolfe relieved S Downs. D Jeter grounded out to shortstop. B Abreu flied out to left. A Rodriguez grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TORONTO 3. TORONTO 7TH: A Rios singled to left. L Vizcaino relieved J Brower. V Wells struck out swinging. F Thomas grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, A Rios out at second.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TORONTO 3. NY YANKEES 8TH: H Matsui lined out to second. J Posada hit by pitch. R Cano grounded into double play, first to shortstop to first, J Posada out at second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TORONTO 3. TORONTO 8TH: T Glaus flied out to center. A Hill homered to left. G Zaun hit for C Thigpen. G Zaun grounded out to second. L Overbay walked. M Stairs hit for J McDonald. M Stairs hit by pitch, L Overbay to second. R Olmedo ran for M Stairs. R Johnson grounded out to pitcher. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TORONTO 4. NY YANKEES 9TH: G Zaun catching. R Olmedo at shortstop. C Janssen relieved B Wolfe. A Phillips flied out to center. M Cabrera flied out to center. J Damon grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TORONTO 4. TORONTO 9TH: M Rivera relieved L Vizcaino. A Rios struck out swinging. V Wells struck out swinging. F Thomas struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TORONTO 4.</div>
Four-run sixth buoys Yankees past Blue Jays <h3>NY YANKEES 5, TORONTO 4</h3>TORONTO (Ticker) -- The New York Yankees' high-powered offensemade sure eight was enough for the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday. A four-run sixth inning propelled the Yankees to a 5-4 victoryover the Blue Jays on Monday afternoon, snapping Toronto'seight-game winning streak at Rogers Centre. New York (62-50), which is 18-7 since the All-Star break, is nowtied with Detroit (61-49) atop the American League wild cardstandings. The Tigers face the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Mondaynight. With Toronto leading, 3-1, in the sixth, Bobby Abreu walked andAlex Rodriguez singled to chase Blue Jays rookie starter JesseLitsch. The Yankees then greeted reliever Scott Downs (1-2) with anoffensive onslaught. After Hideki Matsui's single to left field plated Abreu,Robinson Cano belted a two-run double and Melky Cabrera broughthim home with a single to cap the scoring and give New York a5-3 lead. The five runs, ironically, is almost a power outage for theYankees. After scoring 31 runs in a three-game series sweep ofthe Kansas City Royals, New York has scored seven or more runsin 12 of its last 16 games. Yankees starter Andy Pettitte (8-7) wasn't dominant buteffective in his 5 2/3 innings, improving to 11-4 in his careerin Toronto. The veteran lefthander allowed three runs and sixhits while striking out seven and walking four. After Jim Brower recorded the final out of the sixth, LuisVizcaino pitched two innings, allowing a solo homer to AaronHill to cut the Yankees' lead to 5-4. Mariano Rivera struck out the side in the ninth for his 18thsave. The Yankees started the scoring in the third inning after JohnnyDamon's groundout plated Cabrera, who tripled to extend hishitting streak to 12 games. The Blue Jays responded in their half of the frame courtesy ofFrank Thomas' two-run double, which plated Reed Johnson and AlexRios. Toronto extended its lead to 3-1 in the fifth thanks to VernonWells' run-scoring single.
Four-run sixth buoys Yankees past Blue Jays <h3>NY YANKEES 5, TORONTO 4</h3>TORONTO (Ticker) -- The New York Yankees' high-powered offensemade sure eight was enough for the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday. A four-run sixth inning propelled the Yankees to a 5-4 victoryover the Blue Jays on Monday afternoon, snapping Toronto'seight-game winning streak at Rogers Centre. New York (62-50), which is 18-7 since the All-Star break, is nowtied with Detroit (61-49) atop the American League wild cardstandings. The Tigers face the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Mondaynight. With Toronto leading, 3-1, in the sixth, Bobby Abreu walked andAlex Rodriguez singled to chase Blue Jays rookie starter JesseLitsch. Litsch allowed three runs on six hits in five innings. The Yankees then greeted reliever Scott Downs (1-2) with anoffensive onslaught. After Hideki Matsui's single to left field plated Abreu,Robinson Cano belted a two-run double and Melky Cabrera broughthim home with a single to cap the scoring and give New York a5-3 lead. "I'm happy because we were down by one run," Cano said. "It wasa two-RBI double, it was key to the game." Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was quick to praise bothCano and Cabrera. "Collectively, those guys have given us a lot of energy, a lotof big hits, great defense. I don't know where this team wouldbe without those two guys," Rodriguez said. The five runs, ironically, is almost a power outage for theYankees. After scoring 31 runs in a three-game series sweep ofthe Kansas City Royals, New York has scored seven or more runsin 12 of its last 16 games. Yankees starter Andy Pettitte (8-7) wasn't dominant buteffective in his 5 2/3 innings, improving to 11-4 in his careerin Toronto. The veteran lefthander allowed three runs and sixhits while striking out seven and walking four. "It was a struggle for me again. My command hasn't been realgood, I've kind just been battling through it," said Pettitte,who tied Waite Hoyt for eighth all-time on the Yankees' careerwins list with (157). "(I was) thankful I was able to keep us inthe game, somewhat. The offense did a great job and got us abig inning." After Jim Brower recorded the final out of the sixth, LuisVizcaino pitched two innings, allowing a solo homer to AaronHill to cut the Yankees' lead to 5-4. Mariano Rivera struck out the side in the ninth for his 18thsave. "You have to live up to the challenge," Rivera said. "There'sno room for mistakes, we have to be aggressive and that's whatwe did today." The Yankees started the scoring in the third inning after JohnnyDamon's groundout plated Cabrera, who tripled to extend hishitting streak to 12 games. The Blue Jays responded in their half of the frame courtesy ofFrank Thomas' two-run double, which plated Reed Johnson and AlexRios. Johnson feels the Blue Jays sometimes press too hard at theplate. "I think guys recognize that that's been a problem all year,"Johnson said. "It's one thing that we've been pounding on eachother about. It's definitely a case of guys maybe trying tohard. We got to get back to just relaxing at the plate." Toronto extended its lead to 3-1 in the fifth thanks to VernonWells' run-scoring single. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said the sixth inning was thedifference. "It was a game that could have gone either way," Gibbons said."They're the hottest team out there since the All-Star break.We hung tough, but that big four-run inning cost us."
Four-run sixth buoys Yankees past Blue Jays <h3>NY YANKEES 5, TORONTO 4</h3>TORONTO (Ticker) -- The New York Yankees' high-powered offensemade sure eight was enough for the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday. A four-run sixth inning propelled the Yankees to a 5-4 victoryover the Blue Jays on Monday afternoon, snapping Toronto'seight-game winning streak at Rogers Centre. New York (62-50), which is 18-7 since the All-Star break,remains a half-game behind Detroit (62-49) in the AmericanLeague wild card standings. The Tigers defeated the Tampa BayDevil Rays, 6-4, on Monday night. With Toronto leading, 3-1, in the sixth, Bobby Abreu walked andAlex Rodriguez singled to chase Blue Jays rookie starter JesseLitsch. Litsch allowed three runs on six hits in five innings. The Yankees then greeted reliever Scott Downs (1-2) with anoffensive onslaught. After Hideki Matsui's single to left field plated Abreu,Robinson Cano belted a two-run double and Melky Cabrera broughthim home with a single to cap the scoring and give New York a5-3 lead. "I'm happy because we were down by one run," Cano said. "It wasa two-RBI double, it was key to the game." Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was quick to praise bothCano and Cabrera. "Collectively, those guys have given us a lot of energy, a lotof big hits, great defense. I don't know where this team wouldbe without those two guys," Rodriguez said. The five runs, ironically, is almost a power outage for theYankees. After scoring 31 runs in a three-game series sweep ofthe Kansas City Royals, New York has scored seven or more runsin 12 of its last 16 games. Yankees starter Andy Pettitte (8-7) wasn't dominant buteffective in his 5 2/3 innings, improving to 11-4 in his careerin Toronto. The veteran lefthander allowed three runs and sixhits while striking out seven and walking four. "It was a struggle for me again. My command hasn't been realgood, I've kind just been battling through it," said Pettitte,who tied Waite Hoyt for eighth all-time on the Yankees' careerwins list with (157). "(I was) thankful I was able to keep us inthe game, somewhat. The offense did a great job and got us abig inning." After Jim Brower recorded the final out of the sixth, LuisVizcaino pitched two innings, allowing a solo homer to AaronHill to cut the Yankees' lead to 5-4. Mariano Rivera struck out the side in the ninth for his 18thsave. "You have to live up to the challenge," Rivera said. "There'sno room for mistakes, we have to be aggressive and that's whatwe did today." The Yankees started the scoring in the third inning after JohnnyDamon's groundout plated Cabrera, who tripled to extend hishitting streak to 12 games. The Blue Jays responded in their half of the frame courtesy ofFrank Thomas' two-run double, which plated Reed Johnson and AlexRios. Johnson feels the Blue Jays sometimes press too hard at theplate. "I think guys recognize that that's been a problem all year,"Johnson said. "It's one thing that we've been pounding on eachother about. It's definitely a case of guys maybe trying tohard. We got to get back to just relaxing at the plate." Toronto extended its lead to 3-1 in the fifth thanks to VernonWells' run-scoring single. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said the sixth inning was thedifference. "It was a game that could have gone either way," Gibbons said."They're the hottest team out there since the All-Star break. Wehung tough, but that big four-run inning cost us."
