Yankees down Jays, maintain one-game lead in AL East
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Russell Martin blasted a three-run homer and the New York Yankees kept their slim lead in the AL East with a 11-4 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Nick Swisher stroked a two-run double in the opening frame and Eric Chavez book-ended the victory with a two-run home run in the ninth inning.
The Yankees maintained a one-game edge on the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the division. The Orioles fired a one-hitter in a 9-1 home win over the Boston Red Sox on Friday.
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Hiroki Kuroda (15-11) labored through 5 1/3 innings by giving up a season-high tying 10 hits along with two runs.
"Our defense kind of picked him up a little bit the first two innings," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "You look up, they have three doubles, five hits total, a walk and don't score a run in two innings."
Chad Jenkins (0-3) remained without a victory after 12 major league appearances. In his second start, the right-hander gave up four hits and three runs over 3 2/3 innings.
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Rajai Davis went 4-for-4 for the Blue Jays, who failed to build on a 6-0 win in the opener of this four-game series. Colby Rasmus and Adam Lind homered in the defeat.
Swisher doubled to the gap in right-center field in the opening inning and Raul Ibanez scored on Derek Jeter's double-play groundout in the second for a 3-0 margin.
Rasmus struck out to leave the bases full to conclude the second, but then homered to right-center to leadoff the bottom of the fifth. In the second, Yunel Escobar was picked off third base.
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The Yankees expanded their lead to 7-1 in the sixth. Robinson Cano was hit by a pitch and Swisher singled to left field. Despite striking out the next two batters, Brett Cecil was removed from the game in favor of Jason Frasor. Martin took a 3-2 pitch over the wall in left field, and Ichiro Suzuki singled in a run later in the inning.
Kelly Johnson scored on a fielder's choice grounder from Anthony Gose in the bottom of the sixth, but the Yankees got that run back on an RBI from Ibanez in the seventh.
Lind socked a two-run homer off David Phelps in the seventh before Cano singled in Suzuki in the eighth. Chavez went deep with Chris Dickerson aboard in the ninth.
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Game Notes
Cano is 10-for-14 over his last four games ... Jeter has reached base safely in 29 straight games, the longest such streak by a Yankee this season ... The Blue Jays fell to 37-39 at home. They haven't had a losing season at Rogers Centre since 2004 (40-41).