Yankees-Angels Score: Yankees Wins, 6-5, On Grand Slam By Cano

Bronx, NY (Sports Network) - Robinson Cano belted a two-out, go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning to vault the Yankees past the Angels, 6-5, in the finale of a three-game series.

Maicer Izturis' error on a soft grounder by Mark Teixeira allowed the Yankees to load the bases, opening the door for Cano's heroics.

"This is a guy that can carry you," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of Cano. "That's how good of a player he is."

Mariano Rivera entered with two aboard in the ninth and allowed a first-pitch, three-run homer to Russell Branyan before settling to record his 30th save of the season.

Curtis Granderson hit a two-run homer and Derek Jeter went 3-for-3 and scored twice for the Yankees, who rebounded from a three-game skid to win the final two games of this series.

Rafael Soriano (2-1) tossed a scoreless seventh to earn the win.

Scott Downs surrendered the grand slam to Cano, though Fernando Rodney (2-4) suffered the loss after issuing two walks in the beginning of the frame.

Alberto Callaspo went 2-for-5 with a double and a two-run homer for the Angels.

The late fireworks belied the game's measured start, which featured an early duel between starters Bartolo Colon and Tyler Chatwood.

Each pitcher allowed just two runs. The Yankees' Colon lasted six frames and surrendered five hits to his former team, while Chatwood gave up eight hits over 5 1/3 innings.

The Angels loaded the bases with two down in the second, but Colon got Bobby Wilson to ground out to escape the threat.

An inning later, Callaspo ripped a one-out double, but again Colon worked out of trouble, sandwiching a Bobby Abreu strikeout and a Mark Trumbo popout around a Torii Hunter walk.

In the fifth, Colon finally gave way. Erick Aybar reached with a one-out single and Callaspo followed with a blast into the second deck in right.

Like Los Angeles, the Yankees were denied early before eventually breaking through.

With one down in the third, Brett Gardner doubled and Jeter, who was the designated hitter Thursday, followed with a single to place runners at the corners. However, Granderson grounded into a 3-6-1 double play.

Granderson made amends in the sixth, following a Jeter single with a game- tying shot to right.

Later in the frame, a Teixeira single and a Nick Swisher walk chased Chatwood. Hisanori Takahashi entered and struck out Eric Chavez before Rodney put down Eduardo Nunez on strikes.

Rodney remained in the game to begin the home seventh and issued walks to Francisco Cervelli and Jeter. With one down, Downs spelled Rodney and promptly struck out Granderson. Teixeira then tapped a soft grounder toward Izturis, who bobbled the ball, allowing the Yankees to load the bases.

Cano capitalized emphatically, ripping an 0-1 sinker off the base of the second deck in right.

"That extra out cost them the game," said Girardi. "They don't make many mistakes. Cano really took advantage."

Cory Wade struck out Vernon Wells to begin the ninth, but allowed an Izturis single and a Peter Bourjos double before giving way to Rivera. The pinch- hitting Branyan greeted the closer with his second homer of the season, but Aybar grounded out and Gardner made a nice catch on a sinking liner in foul territory to end the game.

"I've seen [Rivera] have three or four bad days and then run off a long stretch," Girardi commented. "I don't think that all of a sudden [he] has forgotten how to pitch."

With the win, the Yankees increased their lead over the Angels in the AL wild card hunt to eight games...The Yankees now trail idle Boston by one game for first place in the AL East.

Yankees-Angels Score: Granderson, Nova Lead Yankees To 9-3 Win

Bronx, NY (Sports Network) - Ivan Nova made a case to stay in New York's crowded rotation, and Curtis Granderson continued his year-long surge with two home runs and four RBI, as the Yankees downed the Angels, 9-3, in the middle installment of a three-game series.

Nova (11-4) won his seventh straight decision with six-plus quality innings, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks. The right-hander's recent success has the Yankees employing a six-man rotation for the time being.

"[We want him] to make us force our hand. Don't give us an opportunity to say you have to go work on this and that," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of Nova's future.

Yankees-Angels Score: Burnett, Rivera Stumble In 6-4 Loss

Bronx, NY (Sports Network) - Bobby Abreu's second home run of the night was a tie-breaking, two-run shot off Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning, pushing the Angels over the Yankees, 6-4, in the opener of a three-game series.

Rivera (1-2), fresh off a blown save against Boston on Sunday, retired two straight in the ninth following a leadoff single, but his fifth consecutive cutter to Abreu was redirected into the right-field seats to break a 4-4 tie.

"You never expect as a hitter to hit a home run off of Mariano. First of all, it's tough to make good contact against him, and to hit a homer is nice. Believe me, it's something that is hard to believe," said Abreu.

New York put runners on the corners in its half against Jordan Walden, bringing the go-ahead run to the plate in Mark Teixeira. Curtis Granderson, trying to get into scoring position with two outs, fell for the classic fake- to-third, throw-to-first pickoff attempt, and was tagged out in a rundown to end the game.

Walden picked up his 26th save for closing out the win, Los Angeles' fifth in seven games. The Yankees have dropped three straight on the heels of an eight- game winning streak.

LA scored four runs in the sixth to jump in front. Abreu started the frame with a home run off A.J. Burnett, and three walks to the next five batters loaded the bases. Jeff Mathis' ground-rule double to center plated two more, and Peter Bourjos raced home on a wild pitch for a 4-1 cushion.

"I wouldn't change a lot that I did. I pretty much pitched with conviction all night and used my four-seamer pretty well," Burnett said about his performance.

Angels starter Dan Haren gave up a solo home run to Granderson in the first inning, but was otherwise cruising until Russell Martin hit a two-out double in the seventh.

Eduardo Nunez blooped a single to right to pull the Yankees within two, and Haren was pulled after allowing a base hit to Brett Gardner, who stole second after Fernando Rodney took over on the hill. Derek Jeter tied things with a line-drive hit to center.

Scott Downs (6-2) gave up a walk and a single in a scoreless eighth and was credited with the win.

Yankees Vs. Angels: Bumbling Burnett Gets Another Chance

-- See Pinstripe Alley for complete discussion and analysis of the Yankees