Cano, Yanks Rob Nationals

Yankee second baseman Robinson Cano shown here making one of many great plays in the field. Cano backed up his defense with four hits in Yankees' 5-3 win over Washington last night. (Photo courtesy of New York Daily News)

After taking two out of three from the Mets in the Subway Series, including a 15-0 domination on Sunday; the Yankees conceivably had every right to look past their upcoming three-game set with the Washington Nationals at the Stadium. Luckily, they didn't look too far ahead.

After a three-run home run by former Met prospect Anderson Hernandez, the Yankees trailed 3-2 going into the seventh inning. However, clutch hits from Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano allowed the Bombers to bail out CC Sabathia, who went 7 2/3 innings, giving up only the homer in the Yanks' 5-3 win over the Nationals last night. With the win, the Yankees once again moved ten games over .500, with a record of 37-27.

"This is the big leagues, so you can't take anybody lightly," said Sabathia, who improved to 6-4 on the season with his impressive outing. Brian Bruney returned from the disabled list, retiring Ryan Zimmerman to end the eighth; and Mariano Rivera pitched a scoreless ninth for his eleventh consecutive save. The night belonged to Cano, however; as the second baseman collected his first four-hit game, not to mention the game-winning double that sailed over the head of Nationals center fielder Elijah Dukes.

"I thought it was going to be caught," Cano said after the game. "Thank God he missed it." The Yankees resume their series with Washington tonight at the Stadium, with Chien-Ming Wang looking for his first win of the season. Wang will be opposed on the mound by lefthander John Lannan.