UPDATE NYY-AUGUST 2012

FRIDAY, AUG. 2 2012                 C1

YANKEES STREAKING
JAYS STAY CLOSE IN TIGHT AL EAST RACE

NEW YORK - THE YANKEES SANDWICHED A THREE-GAME LOSING SKID AFTER THE ALL-STAR BREAK AROUND FOUR- AND THREE-GAME WINNING STREAKS, AND LEAD THEIR DIVISION BY A SINGLE GAME OVER TORONTO.

WHEN NEW YORK WON, IT WAS IN SHOOTOUT FASHION. WHEN THEY FELL, IT WAS BY A SNIPER SHOT, MAINLY.

NEW YORK POSTED WINS BY SCORES OF  8-5, 11-6, 7-4, 14-12, 12-10, 7-6, 6-4, 8-6 AND 10-9.

LOSSES WERE BY 9-8, 6-3, 4-3, 7-4 AND ON THURSDAY, 2-1.

"DESPITE SOME OF THOSE SCORES, WE'RE ACTUALLY THROWING THE BALL BETTER," MANAGER JOE GIRARDI SAID.

HE SINGLED OUT RECENTLY RECALLED MARK ROGERS AND MIKE LEAKE AND SAID HE EXPECTS GOOD THINGS OUT OF ALEXI NOVOA, WHO WILL GET A START NEXT WEEK.

THE YANKEES (58-47) HOST OAKLAND FOR A THREE-GAME SET STARTING TONIGHT, THE HIT THE ROAD TO BOSTON AND TAMPA. THEY'LL FACE TORONTO FOR FIVE GAMES IN SEPTEMBER.

NEW YORK LEADS THE MAJORS IN HITTING (.297), RUNS (701), HITS (1128), HOMERS (238 TO RUNNER-UP ANAHEIM'S 154) RBIs AND SLUGGING PERCENTAGE.

BUT THEIR PITCHERS ARE LAST IN ERA (5.72).

JASON HAYWARD (.344) AND AARON CONNER (.330) ARE SECOND AND FIFTH, RESPECTIVELY IN THE AL IN HITTING. CONNER'S 27 HOME RUNS ARE THIRD BEST WHILE HEYWARD'S 25 PLACE HIM FIFTH. CONNER (73) IS ALSO THIRD IN RUNS BATTED IN, WITH HEYWARD (71) TIED FOR FOURTH.

CONNER AND HEYWARD ARE RUNNING TWO-AND THREE IN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS' WEEKLY AL MVP VOTE, BEHIND DETROIT'S MIGUEL CABRERA, WHO IS HITTING .356, HAS WALLOPED 33 HOMERS, DRIVEN IN 88 RUNS AND IS SLUGGING AT A .667 CLIP.

"HEY, WE HAVE GUYS - YOUNG AND OLD - THAT CAN RIP," GIRARDI SAYS, ADDING TIM GRISSOM (.288, 16 AND 42) AND STEVE SHERMAN (.292, 15 AND 44) ARE WORKING ON NEW STANCES TO KEEP THEM IN THE LINEUP.

"THESE GUYS ARE JUST SO COMPETITIVE AT THE PLATE, IT'S A DAILY BATTLE TO FILL OUT A LINEUP EVERY DAY," GIRARDI SAID.

NEW YORK HAS A DOZEN PLAYERS WITH AT LEAST 10 HOME RUNS.