The 27-year-old Tanaka saved his best work for the second half, helping a Yankees club that opened the afternoon just one game off the pace for the second American League Wild Card spot. Tanaka scattered five hits over 7 1/3 innings, improving to 5-0 in his past six starts as the Yankees moved 11 games over .500 at 76-65.
Chris Archer matched Tanaka through the first five frames, but Jacoby Ellsbury and Gary Sanchez broke up the duel with back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning. Ellsbury launched a two-run home run to right field, his eighth homer, and Sanchez homered for the second consecutive day with a solo shot into the left-field bullpen, his 13th dinger.