It's never a good idea to give Robinson Cano the chance to hurt you.
That's exactly what happened Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, where a two-out, seventh-inning error by Angels second baseman Maicer Izturis set the stage for Cano's decisive grand slam off Scott Downs in a 6-5 Yankees win.
The Yankees won despite another shaky outing by Mariano Rivera, who allowed a three-run homer to Russell Branyan that pulled the Angels within a run in the ninth. The closer shut the door after that, however, collecting his 30th save.
The Yankees again won a series in which they dropped the opener as they closed within a game of the Boston Red Sox in the American League East. They increased their wild card lead to eight games over the Angels.
Bartolo Colon made the start, allowing only a two-run homer to Alberto Callaspo over six innings. Rafael Soriano pitched a clean seventh and was credited with his second win as a Yankee.
New York's other runs came also via the longball. Curtis Granderson's YSIII special into the right-field grandstand tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth inning. It was Granderson's 32nd of the season, extending a career high.
Brett Gardner's streak of 22 straight stolen bases without being caught came to an end in the eighth inning when the Angels successfully executed a pitchout.