The Toronto Blue Jays witnessed firsthand Tuesday night what has made the New York Yankees the best team in baseball over the second half.

Jason Giambi hit a grand slam and Jorge Posada also homered as the Yankees shelled the Blue Jays 9-2 before a crowd of 30,472 at the Rogers Centre.

Jorge Posada, right, is congratulated by Robinson Cano after homering.
(J. P. Moczulski/Canadian Press)

Johnny Damon contributed two runs batted in and rookie hurler Phil Hughes tossed six innings for the win, which kept New York within five games of the Boston Red Sox atop the American League East Division.

The Red Sox outslugged the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 16-10.

"Right now, we have our fate in our hands," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "If we go out there and keep winning ball games, we will be fine."

Toronto sits 15 games behind Boston, and trails the Yankees by 10 games for the AL wild card. 

"Reality does set in sometimes," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "There is so few games left."

Hughes (3-3) permitted two runs — one unearned — on three hits and three walks with three strikeouts for the Yankees (82-62), winners of six straight games, 10 of 13 and a sizzling 39-19 since the all-star break.

"We have been very good after the all-star break," Posada said. "We have done a lot of things well."

"When you make 20 [games over .500], you have to be seriously considering playing in October," Torre said.

Toronto starter Shawn Marcum (12-6) was charged with eight runs and eight hits with four walks and five strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings.

Russ Adams had the lone RBI for the Blue Jays (72-72), losers in their last four outings and six of eight.

Rookie reliever Josh Banks pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning in his major-league debut.

Damon delivers for Yankees 
 
Marcum staked the Yankees to an early lead in the top of the second inning, beginning with a bases-loaded wild pitch to score Posada from third base.

One out later, Damon delivered Giambi and Robinson Cano with a two-run single to make it 3-0.
 
But the Blue Jays tallied twice in the bottom of the inning as Gregg Zaun and John McDonald advanced on a single by Adams and trotted home when centre-fielder Melky Cabrera's throw to second base bounced into the Yankees dugout for a two-base error.  

Posada promptly replied in the third inning with a solo homer to right field, his 20th of the season.

It remained 4-2 until Bobby Abreu doubled to lead off the fifth inning, Alex Rodriguez singled, and Posada walked to load the bases for Giambi, who cleared them with a grand-slam homer over the wall in left-centre.

It was Giambi's 12 career slam and gave him 13 homers on the season. 

"That was a big one to get off my back," he said. "It was exciting.

"It came in a big situation and I got a big hit. With the bases loaded, you know he doesn't want to walk in a run and he just left the fastball up and out over the plate enough where I could put the bat head to it."

The Yankees completed the scoring off relievers Joe Kennedy and Brandon League in the eighth inning when Damon singled, moved to second on Derek Jeter's walk, took third on Rodriguez's infield single and scored on Hideki Matsui's sacrifice fly. 

With files from the Canadian Press