Yankees Win 5th Straight, 9th at Home!

Bobby Abreu hit a go-ahead homer and drove in three runs, Derek Jeter added a two-run double and Robinson Cano logged his fifth consecutive multihit game as the Yankees trounced the Twins on Tuesday, 8-2, winning their ninth straight game at Yankee Stadium. It took 100 games, but the Yankees finally reached their long-awaited checkpoint of 10 games over the .500 mark. Enjoying their biggest surge of the season, the Bombers have no plans on slowing down. "It's a good feeling," Abreu said. "We're a team. We work together and we do things together. We have to just move the runners and bring the guys in. We need to continue [this]." The victory moved the Yankees within 3 1/2 games of the first-place Rays in the American League East, with an all-important series opening against the Red Sox on Friday in Boston. New York has won its first five games since returning from the All-Star break. "The most important thing to me is that we're playing better," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "You have to take care of what you do. You can't worry about the other teams or how many games over [.500] you are. We just have to win games and play better on a consistent basis like we've been doing." With the Yankees trailing by a run in the sixth inning, Abreu blasted his 11th home run, a two-run shot to right field off Twins starter Kevin Slowey. Cano later touched lefty Dennys Reyes for a run-scoring single to center, providing extra cushion and continuing a second-half surge that has seen him go 12-for-23 (.522) since the All-Star break. "I've been doing the same things," Cano said. "It's not that I've been doing anything different or concentrating or anything. It's just that things have started falling. When you get hits, you get more confident. I feel much better." The outburst made a winner of Dave Robertson (2-0), who threw one pitch to retire the final out of the sixth inning, relieving starter Darrell Rasner. The right-hander blanked Minnesota over the first five innings before allowing two runs in the sixth, on a Jason Giambi error and a Jason Kubel fielder's choice. It came off as a no-decision for Rasner -- his first since April 19, 2007, in fact -- but added up to one of his better recent outings. Rasner said he shortened his arm action and used his changeup more, tweaks he began to incorporate during his last start in Toronto. "From the bullpen [before the game] on, he had great command," said catcher Chad Moeller. "He was putting the fastball where he wanted to the whole night. [He threw] lots of close pitches throughout the whole ballgame, and he was able to keep pounding the zone. It gives you a chance. He got some big double plays, which was huge." In the sixth, Carlos Gomez led off the frame by stroking a hanging curveball down the left-field line for a double, and Denard Span followed with a slow dribbler between the mound and first base that Cano barehanded and flipped to first. The throw smacked Giambi's glove and trickled away, allowing Gomez to slide home uncontested. With the bases loaded and one out, Rasner nearly escaped the inning -- as he'd lament, if he could have stretched a bit more at first base. Kubel hit a hot shot that Giambi dove for and threw to second base, but the relay throw came a split-second too late to double up Kubel, allowing Span to score the go-ahead run. That ended the evening for Rasner, who left to applause before Robertson recorded the final out of the inning by inducing Delmon Young to bounce into a fielder's choice. Rasner was charged with two runs on four hits over 5 2/3 innings, walking four and striking out two. "You want to keep this thing rolling, this winning streak we've got," Rasner said. "You don't want to be the one to stop that. I wanted to continue the strong string here and put us in a position to win." Making his first start against New York this season, Slowey (6-7) left after 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits. Cano continued his second-half resurgence to put the Yankees on the board in the second inning, singling to right-center and driving in Alex Rodriguez, who had doubled down the right-field line. Jeter padded New York's lead in a four-run seventh inning, drilling a two-run double to left off Jesse Crain. "We've been doing all the right things ever since the break," said Johnny Damon, who scored twice and was on base four times. "Our starting pitching gives our whole offense a chance to score more runs. It's been fun." As it has recently when provided a big lead, the Yankees' bullpen was able to do the job. Jose Veras set down the Twins with a scoreless seventh inning before Kyle Farnsworth handled the eighth without allowing a hit once again -- his ninth straight inning with no hits allowed. Dan Giese retired the side in the ninth, sealing the Yankees' 23rd win in 33 games at Yankee Stadium. "It's a lot better than [where] we were five days ago," Girardi said. "We're going in the right direction. We're playing better baseball, and we've just got to keep at it. We've got to keep the streak going and keep fighting."