Ellsbury, Headley lead Yanks’ sweep of O’s

NEW YORK (AP) -- Jacoby Ellsbury finished a triple shy of the cycle and drove in four runs and Chase Headley hit a three-run double in the first inning as the New York Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles 9-3 Thursday to bolster their spot atop the AL East.

Masahiro Tanaka (7-3) won his third straight start, allowing three solo homers and a double in 7 2-3 innings to help New York to its ninth win in 11 games.

The Yankees are 12 over .500 at 53-41 for the first time since May 25, 2013, their high point that season.

Ubaldo Jimenez (7-6) went into the All-Star break with a 2.81 ERA, firmly established as the Orioles' ace. It's been a completely different story since then, as he's given up seven runs in two straight starts.

After 2 1-3 innings against the Yankees, his ERA was at 3.81.

(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)