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Yanks back on top

The Yankees were headed up the tunnel from the dugout to their clubhouse after Randy Johnson, Mariano Rivera and Matt Lawton combined with some great defense to beat the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 Wednesday night. That`s when manager Joe Torre heard the crowd roar.

The scoreboard flashed that Tampa Bay had taken an eighth-inning lead against Boston. For only the third night this year, the Yankees went to bed with sole possession of the AL East lead. Randy Johnson limited the Baltimore Orioles to three hits over eight innings in his first start since a second-inning ejection last week, and Lawton broke out of a long slump with a two-run homer in the second inning off Rodrigo Lopez (14-11).

New York`s victory and the 7-4 loss by the Red Sox put the Yankees (88-63) a half-game ahead of Boston (88-64). The only other times this year that New York led the division were after an opening-night win over the Red Sox and following a July 18 victory at Texas.