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Cano's grand slam helps Yankees pound O's

Aug 2, 2012 - 12:14 AM Bronx, NY (Sports Network) - Robinson Cano capped a seven-run third with his ninth career grand slam, a stinging liner to right.

He went back into the dugout and rewarded himself with a pink flavored ice pop.

Mired in a season-high tying four-game losing streak, even a steady diet of the ice-cold snacks weren't going to cool down the New York Yankee bats on Wednesday as they pounded the Baltimore Orioles, 12-3, in the finale of a three-game set.

Derek Jeter tallied three hits, three RBI and a run scored and Jayson Nix registered three hits, a pair of runs scored and an RBI for the Yankees, who moved to 22-12 in series finales this season.

Curtis Granderson had two hits, including his 29th homer of the year, and two runs scored. He too helped himself to an ice pop after his solo blast in the opening frame.

Cano and Granderson were 7-for-45 on the homestand coming in -- five games.

Phil Hughes (11-8) allowed a run on nine hits and two walks in six innings.

Zach Britton (1-1) surrendered seven runs on seven hits and three walks in just 2 2/3 innings for the Orioles, who were looking for their first three- game sweep against New York in the Bronx since June 6-8, 1986.

"There was a game there to be won today," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.

New York held a 4-1 advantage before breaking the game wide open with a seven- run third.

"Whatever you can add on it's important because Baltimore can score some runs...Our guys kept at it," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.

Russell Martin and Casey McGehee worked back-to-back one-out walks and after Ichiro Suzuki flied out, Nix hammered a ground-rule double into deep left-center to bring home Martin.

Kevin Gregg relieved Britton on the hill and was immediately welcomed by Jeter, who slapped a base hit to center, which plated McGehee and Nix. Granderson's single and Nick Swisher's walk loaded the bases for Cano, who ripped a grand slam to right for a commanding 11-1 advantage.

Making his first start in left field for the Yankees, Ichiro Suzuki took a potential homer away from Mark Reynolds in the sixth. Reynolds lofted a towering fly ball near the warning track in left. Suzuki found the wall with his hand, leapt and made a nifty snowcone catch.

Coming back from Tommy John surgery and a horrific trampoline accident with his son at the end of March, Joba Chamberlain came on in the seventh and threw his first pitch in the majors since June 5, 2011.

His second offering to J.J. Hardy was drilled over the wall in left. Endy Chavez slapped an RBI double to left in the eighth to make it 11-3.

The newly acquired McGehee, swapped for reliever Chad Qualls prior to Tuesday's trade deadline, lifted a sacrifice fly to center in the home half to increase the margin to 12-3.

Granderson cracked a towering solo shot into the second deck in right and Andruw Jones' sacrifice fly to center gave the Yankees a quick 2-0 lead in the opening frame.

The O's got a run back in the second on Chavez's RBI groundout to first, but the Yanks made it three-run margin in the home half on a pair of RBI singles by Jeter and Swisher.

Game Notes

Jeter appeared in his 2,528th career game, tied for 10th with Ernie Banks for players that played with just one team...The Yankees had 15 hits and were 7- for-13 with runners in scoring position, while Baltimore finished 0-for-15 with RISP and left 11 men on base...This was the sixth time this season that New York has plated 10-plus runs in a game...The grand slam by Cano gave the Yankees their MLB-leading eighth grand slam of the season.