Ichiro Suzuki hit a two-run homer and Robinson Cano singled in two runs during a five-run fifth inning that helped the New York Yankees pick up an ineffective CC Sabathia and beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-5 Friday night.
Alfonso Soriano connected for a two-run shot in the fourth off Miguel Gonzalez (8-7), and Alex Rodriguez had an RBI single in the seventh inning of a late August game that felt more like October.
In a playoff-race twist, Mark 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 1½ games behind the Orioles, who trailed Oakland by 3½ for the second AL wild card.
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.
Manager Joe 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, for 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.
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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.
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.
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. An out later, Machado drove in Casilla with a single.
Then, in a jarring seven pitches, the Yankees took command of the game and set off a raucous celebration by the crowd of 45,169 rarely heard in the new ballpark that opened in 2009.
Granderson doubled on Gonzalez's fourth pitch. Reynolds drove a ball just short of the wall in left-center two pitches later for an RBI double.
One offering later, Suzuki homered to right-center to end a homerless drought of 131 at-bats and give the Yankees a 5-4 lead.
Austin Romine kept it going, doubling to right field. Brett Gardner singled and Derek 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.
