Yankees 5, Orioles 4
BALTIMORE -- Robinson Cano led off the top of the ninth with a tiebreaking home run, and Lyle Overbay added an RBI infield single that helped the Yankees pull out a 5-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night at Camden Yards.
Cano crushed an 0-1 changeup from Tommy Hunter (4-4) over the wall in right-center to snap a 3-3 tie. Curtis Granderson followed with a one-out triple and scored when Overbay reached on an infield single to short off Troy Patton, giving New York a 5-3 lead.
The Orioles tried to rally late. Nate McLouth hit a two-out double off Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth and scored on a Brian Roberts single. However, Rivera struck out Manny Machado to lock up his 43rd save.
David Robertson (5-1) got the win in relief thanks to a scoreless eighth inning.
The victory moved the Yankees (78-68) one-half game ahead of the Orioles (77-68) and the Cleveland Indians (77-68) in the battle for the second American League wild card. The Kansas City Royals (77-69) beat the Indians and pulled within a half-game of Baltimore and Cleveland. This whole group is chasing the Tampa Bay Rays for that second spot.
Baltimore got a two-run double from Chris Davis in the third inning, and the Orioles led 3-1 after four, but it wasn't enough.
The loss wasted another strong start from Baltimore's Scott Feldman. He gave up a run without a hit in the first inning but retired 12 in a row at one point. He didn't allow a hit until the fifth, and gave up a total of three runs on three hits in 7 2/3 innings.
Yankees starter Andy Pettitte allowed three runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings before leaving.
The Yankees rallied thanks to two solo homers off of Feldman. Granderson went deep in the fifth, and Alex Rodriguez tied the game in the sixth. Those homers set the stage for Cano's big blast in the ninth.
New York took an early lead for the third straight night, manufacturing a first-inning run off Feldman. Brett Gardner led off with a walk, stole second, moved to third on an Rodriguez grounder and scored on a Cano grounder.
Baltimore answered in the third with a two-out rally. Roberts and Machado singled off Pettitte before Davis lined a two-run double to right that put the Orioles up 2-1.
The Orioles added another run in the fourth. Danny Valencia continued his hot streak versus left-handers with a lead-off double against Pettitte and later scored on a J.J. Hardy double to right-center for a 3-1 edge.
NOTES: Orioles RF Nick Markakis wasn't in the starting lineup, although he did get to the ballpark after his wife delivered a baby boy earlier in the day. He grounded out as a ninth-inning pinch hitter. Michael Morse started in right field and went 0-for-3. ... With the double, Davis became the first Orioles player to hit 40 homers and 40 doubles in the same season. ... The Yankees placed SS Derek Jeter on the 15-day disabled list (ankle) Wednesday, essentially ending his season. Jeter appeared in only 17 games with a .190 batting average this year, never overcoming his ankle problems. ... New York designated RHP Jim Miller for assignment to make room for newly acquired SS Brendan Ryan.
