Crisp's 3-run HR off Soriano sinks Yanks

Fans had no difficulty picking up where they left off with Rafael Soriano.

Booed long and lustily the first five weeks of the season, Soriano had mostly disappeared from the radar as he spent nearly 2½ months on the disabled list.

Since returning from the DL, Soriano gave the Yankees much of what they'd hoped for when they signed him to a three-year, $35-million deal.

Until Wednesday night.

Coco Crisp, a bear all night on Yankees pitching, crushed the first pitch he saw from Soriano in the 10th inning into the second deck in right for a three-run homer, the difference in the Yankees' 6-4 loss at the Stadium.

"A hanging slider," said Soriano, who was booed off the mound.

The loss dropped the Yankees (77-50) one game behind the Red Sox, who pummeled the Rangers, 13-2, in the AL East. The A's (59-70), who entered Tuesday 4-25 against the Yankees in their previous 29 games, are assured of snapping a 10-series losing streak to their nemesis.

"I promise you tomorrow at 1 o'clock we'll be ready to go," Nick Swisher said of the series finale.

Swisher hit two homers -- giving him 18 on the season -- the second a solo shot with two outs off Andrew Bailey in the 10th to pull the Yankees to 6-4. Bailey then struck out Andruw Jones for his 18th save.

Mark Teixeira, 0-for-3 on the night after an 0-for-5 performance the night before, hit his 35th homer in the eighth off Grant Balfour to tie it at 3.

Crisp was the difference, going 4-for-4 with two homers, both coming on first pitches, and five RBIs.

"Today wasn't my day," Soriano said. "I left a couple of pitches up."

Soriano had allowed just one run and two hits in eight appearances, comprising 71/3 innings, since coming off the DL July 29. He was in trouble quickly, allowing back-to-back one-out singles to the Nos. 8 and 9 hitters, Cliff Pennington and Scott Sizemore, who played a large role earlier in the game.

Soriano had not pitched since Aug. 16 but neither he nor Joe Girardi thought he was rusty.

"We've had him up a couple of times , just the game never dictated it," Girardi said. "That's going to happen. You don't like a guy to go a week without throwing but sometimes the game dictates when you're going to use a guy."

Said Soriano: "I felt good. One hanging pitch and that was it. That was the game."

Crisp's first homer came in the first inning when, as the game's second batter, he slammed the first pitch he saw from CC Sabathia over the wall in left for a 1-0 lead.

Derek Jeter, who is batting .353 (61-for-173) since coming off the disabled list July 4, went 2-for-5 as he passed Rod Carew (3,053) and tied Rickey Henderson for 21st on baseball's all-time hit list with 3,055. Jeter's RBI single, a line drive to center, in the third tied the score at 1.

Trevor Cahill, who came in 0-4 with a 13.50 ERA in four career starts against the Yankees, including July 22 this year when he allowed 10 runs in two innings, gave up two runs and seven hits in six innings last night.

Sabathia shook off the mistake to Crisp but wasn't able to do that with an 0-and-2 pitch in the eighth that Sizemore lined to leftfield for a double to tie it at 2. Swisher's first homer, in the sixth inning, gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead.

Girardi came out to visit Sabathia, who was at 97 pitches, but left him in to face Sizemore, already 2-for-2 against the lefty.

"Just told him, it's your game, let's go get this guy," Girardi said.

Instead, Sizemore got Sabathia, doubling in Kurt Suzuki, who led off the inning with a single.

Crisp's broken-bat single past Robinson Cano brought in Sizemore to give the A's a 3-2 lead.

"It's tough," said Sabathia, charged with three runs in 71/3 innings. "Especially when you get the lead, you want to shut it down."