NEW YORK (AP) -- Brian McCann and Alex Rodriguez hit back-to-back homers off All-Star starter Chris Archer that sent the New York Yankees past the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4 on Sunday.

New York Yankees' John Ryan Murphy (66) scores on a double by Didi Gregorius ahead of the tag by Tampa Bay Rays catcher Luke Maile during the fifth inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015, at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
New York Yankees' John Ryan Murphy (66) scores on a double by Didi Gregorius ahead of the tag by Tampa Bay Rays catcher Luke Maile during the fifth inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015, at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
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Ivan Nova pitched six solid innings to help the Yankees take two of three in the series. New York, which leads the American League wild-card chase, remained 1 1/2 games behind first-place Toronto in the AL East.

The Blue Jays beat Baltimore 10-4.

On a picture-perfect afternoon in the Bronx, Archer was doing what he's always done - dominate the Yankees. The 26-year-old righty, who had never lost to New York, kept hitters off balance with a slider that opposing manager Joe Girardi suggested might be the best in the game.

That was, until the sixth inning. After the first 18 Yankees batters were held to one hit, New York finally broke through.

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