Yanks alone in East lead

BOSTON -- Bases loaded. Two out. Already trailing by two runs in the fifth inning, Yankees manager Joe Girardi decided he couldn't wait any longer.

Out went starter Bartolo Colon and in came Boone Logan, the only left-hander in New York's bullpen, to face Red Sox All-Star Adrian Gonzalez, who leads the major leagues in batting (.356) and RBIs (91).

Logan struck out Gonzalez to get out of the inning, and the Yankees scored three runs in the sixth to win 3-2 and take over the sole American League East lead Friday night.

"That's a big situation," Logan said. "You can't think of it like, 'It's Adrian Gonzalez.' That's where you can get into trouble."

Five New York relievers combined to throw 4 1/3 shutout innings, nailing down the Yankees' eighth straight win. They had beaten Boston only once in nine meetings this season.

"(The Red Sox) are human," right fielder Nick Swisher said. "They can be beat. It was a big lift for us."

Swisher had two hits, including an RBI double off Jon Lester (11-5) to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth for his 29th save, striking out Josh Reddick for the final out as New York took over the division lead for the first time since July 6.

The Red Sox led 2-0 after four and loaded the bases against Colon in the fifth. With Gonzalez up, Girardi called on Logan (3-2).

"Bases loaded; there's no room for error on Boone's part. That's a huge statement," Girardi said. "It's a big win, To be able to come from behind when Lester was dealing; to be able to scratch three runs across by some great at-bats, that was a big win for us."

Lester, who had won five consecutive starts against the Yankees, allowed three runs on five hits and four walks, striking out seven in six-plus innings. David Ortiz homered and Reddick had two hits for Boston, which was a season-high three games in front of New York on July 24.

They still led by 2½ on the morning of July 30 before the Yankees swept the Orioles in a doubleheader to start their winning streak. The teams came into the three-game series at Fenway Park tied for the best record in the AL, both 68-42.

"It's probably going to be close," Boston's Carl Crawford said. "A photo finish."