Yankees 7, Blue Jays 5
Marcus Thames belted a tiebreaking two-run homer in the seventh inning as the New York Yankees earned their eighth consecutive victory Saturday, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 7-5.
After Toronto tied the game in the fifth on a two-run double from Lyle Overbay, the Yankees responded with the decisive two-out rally off losing pitcher Jason Frasor (3-4). Robinson Cano kept the inning alive with a single to center field and Thames followed with a long homer to left-center, putting the Yankees ahead for good.
The victory, combined with Tampa Bay's 8-4 loss to Baltimore on Saturday night, moved the Yankees 2 1/2 games ahead of the Rays for top spot in the American League East.
Joba Chamberlain (2-4) worked a scoreless seventh inning to earn his first victory since May 14, while Mariano Rivera closed things out for his 29th save of the year, and the 555th of his career.
Cano finished with two hits and a pair of RBIs while Derek Jeter and Brett Gardner also drove in runs for New York.
Overbay's three-RBI performance paced the Jays, who have dropped five of six.
Neither starter was effective. New York's Javier Vazquez surrendered five runs over just 4 2/3 innings, while Toronto counterpart Mark Rzepczynski was charged with five runs in his four innings of work.