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A's get rare home win vs. Yankees

Jul 20, 2012 - 6:02 AM Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - Yoenis Cespedes belted a two-run homer in the first inning and Seth Smith added a two-run single in the third to back a strong outing from A.J. Griffin, as the Athletics held off the New York Yankees, 4-3, Thursday night.

Nick Swisher, who drove in two runs, belted a solo homer with one out in the ninth inning off Ryan Cook, but Raul Ibanez struck out and Russell Martin grounded out to end the game. Cook secured his 10th save.

Griffin (2-0), in just his fifth major league start, surrendered seven hits, two runs and fanned four over six innings.

"He knows against these guys they're going to try and drive your pitch count up," A's manager Bob Melvin said of Griffin. "He's a command guy, very confident to throw his ball over the plate with any of his pitches. That's what makes him successful."

The A's, who posted their sixth win in seven contests, snapped a nine-game home skid to the Yankees.

Mark Teixeira knocked in the other run for the Yankees, who had a three-game win streak broken. Robinson Cano singled in the sixth inning to extend his career-best hitting streak to 22 games.

Freddy Garcia (4-3) lasted 5 2/3 innings and yielded nine hits and four runs before being pulled after throwing 105 pitches in the opener of this four-game series.

Prior to the game, the Yankees learned that outfielder Brett Gardner will have arthroscopic surgery next week on his right elbow and likely won't play the rest of this season.

"We probably won't have him the rest of this year, but let's get it cleaned up and get him healthy," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said after the game. "I wish we would have his speed coming back, but we're going to have to do it without him."

The AL East leaders stranded a pair of runners in the opening inning.

Cespedes homered to left with Jemile Weeks aboard in the bottom half, and it became 4-0 in the third when Smith singled to right-center with the bases full to bring home Coco Crisp and Weeks.

New York loaded the bases in the sixth before Teixeira lifted a sacrifice fly to center and Swisher followed with a base hit up the middle. Ibanez fanned with runners at the corners to end the inning.

Game Notes

The Yankees have scored at least three runs in single-season franchise-record 43 consecutive games...Cano's hitting streak is the longest by a Yankee since Derek Jeter hit safely in 25 in a row during the 2006 season...The A's, who are a season-best four games over .500 (48-44) are within 7 1/2 games of first-place Texas in the AL West...The A's have hit 13 homers in their last six games...Oakland beat the Yankees for just the fifth time in the last 25 games...The A's began a stretch of 17 consecutive games against American League East teams. They are 10-8 against the East this year and have not finished with a winning record against the division since 2006...Crisp had three of Oakland's nine hits.