Behind eight strong innings from ace CC Sabathia and a six-run third inning Wednesday afternoon, the New York Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins, 8-2, at Target Field. The victory helped the Yankees (90-65) take the three-game series and push their lead in the American League East Division to two full games.

That lead could stay stagnant or be minimized by a half game, depending on the results of Wednesday night's contest between the second-place Baltimore Orioles (88-67) and Toronto Blue Jays (68-86) starting at 7:05 p.m. ET. New York's magic number to clinch a postseason berth is now at four.

Sabathia (14-6) finished the game allowing just two runs on six hits while striking out 10 batters. His stellar outing was supported by a slew of runs that mostly came in a six-run third inning that helped the Yankees take an early 6-1 lead.

Robinson Cano went 2-for-5 at the plate with a run scored and two RBI, both coming in the third inning, while Curtis Granderson's lone hit was a triple that also scored two runs in the third.

Other Yankees collecting multiple hits were Ichiro Suzuki (2-for-5), Raul Ibanez (2-for-4) and Chris Dickerson (2-for-4).

The losing pitcher was Brian Duensing (4-11) who allowed six runs in just one inning of work.

On Friday, the Yankees will continue their road trip, as they travel to Toronto for a four-game series with the Blue Jays.