CC Sabathia allowed two runs over seven innings in another winning effort against the Baltimore Orioles, and Robinson Cano contributed three hits in a 4-2 victory Wednesday night.
The Yankees bounced back from an early 2-0 deficit to win their 10th straight against Baltimore. The Yankees are 10-1 against the Orioles this season and have outscored them 65-29.
Sabathia (6-3) gave up nine hits and struck out eight in defeating Baltimore for the second time in a week. The left-hander is 13-1 lifetime against the Orioles, and four of his wins this season have come at their expense.
Joba Chamberlain worked the eighth and Mariano Rivera got three outs for his 14th save.
Cano went 3 for 4 to increase his major-league hit total to 88 and up his AL-leading batting average to .376. He also saved a run with a fine defensive play at second base.
Adam Jones scored a run and drove in one for the Orioles, who have lost 12 of 13.
Baltimore starter Chris Tillman (0-2) yielded three runs, one earned, in six innings. He was coming off a horrid effort against Boston in which he surrendered four runs in 1 1-3 innings.
New York scored twice in the sixth to take a 3-2 lead. After second baseman Julio Lugo misplayed a grounder by Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez singled and Cano tied it with an RBI single. Rodriguez scored when Jorge Posada hit into a fielder’s choice.
Sabathia was pressed to retain the advantage in the seventh. With two outs and Cesar Izturis on second, Nick Markakis hit a bouncer to the right side that Cano snagged with a dive to his left. Izturis was forced to stay at third on the infield hit, and after Ty Wigginton walked to load the bases, Sabathia ended his 114-pitch outing by striking out Luke Scott.
Sabathia pumped his fist as he walked off the mound, and soon after that, Francisco Cervelli singled in an eighth-inning run to make it 4-2.
Baltimore went up 1-0 in the second inning on a two-out RBI single by Garrett Atkins. It was the first time in five games against the Yankees this month that the Orioles held the lead.
Successive two-out singles by Wigginton, Scott and Jones made it 2-0 in the third. Sabathia avoided further damage by striking out Matt Wieters with runners on second and third.
New York got an unearned run in the fourth after a wild pickoff throw by Tillman.
NOTES: Orioles RHP Jake Arrieta will make his major league debut Thursday night against the Yankees, who will counter with A.J. Burnett (who’s 11-2 lifetime against Baltimore) . … Yankees LF Brett Gardner, who hurt his left thumb on Tuesday, did not start but appeared as a pinch-runner. His backup, Kevin Russo, made an outstanding diving catch in the eighth to rob Jones of a double. … The Orioles had allowed 11 straight stolen bases before Wieters threw out Derek Jeter in the third inning.