Curtis Granderson's slam helps Yankees beat Red Sox, 10-3

Mark Teixeira isn't about to join those who have dismissed the last-place Red Sox, even if David Ortiz is out and Boston has slipped below .500.

"I would not be surprised if this team makes a run," he said Friday night. "Papi is hurt, but when he gets back and a couple of other pitchers get healthy, who knows? They can really make a run, and so every win against them counts."

But at least in terms of the AL East title, Boston may be down for the count pretty soon if the first-place Yankees keep taking care of business the way they did in Friday night's 10-3 victory over the Red Sox, who fell 111/2 games behind.

The Yankees rode the home run train again before a sellout crowd of 49,571 at the Stadium, accounting for eight runs with three homers in beating Boston for the sixth time in seven games.

Curtis Granderson's grand slam off former Yankee Mark Melancon with two outs in the eighth blew things open, turning a three-run lead into a seven-run bulge and helping Phil Hughes (10-8) collect his first win since July 1. Raul Ibañez's two-run homer capped a three-run first and Russell Martin added a two-run shot in the fourth for the Yankees, who have hit 156 homers in 99 games and lead the second-place Orioles by 81/2 games.

Teixeira accounted for the other two runs, beating out a potential inning-ending double-play ball to drive in a run -- and set up Ibañez's homer -- in the first and delivering a sacrifice fly in the third to lift his RBI total to 69.

"That's just a great hustle play. Kind of set the tone for us a little bit," manager Joe Girardi said. "It's a double-play ball and they don't turn it, and then Ibañez hits a two-run homer to give us the lead and Hughesie never gave it up."

Hughes surrendered solo homers to Dustin Pedroia, Carl Crawford and Jarrod Saltalamacchia and has allowed 25 homers in 1211/3 innings this season. He's tied with the Mariners' Jason Vargas for the most homers allowed in the majors this year.

"When guys are on, I tend to throw my off-speed stuff a little bit more, make some different pitches," said Hughes, who allowed five hits, walked one and struck out five in seven strong innings. "Nobody on, last thing I want to do is walk guys. That can lead to big innings. If I give up a solo homer here or there, I can work around that and continue to find kind of a rhythm. But if I'm continuing to fall behind and guys are getting on base, that's what leads to those big innings I'm trying to avoid."

After Pedroia homered with two outs in the first, the Yankees took the lead for good with three runs in the bottom of the inning. The homers by Crawford and Saltalamacchia drew the Red Sox within 3-2 and 4-3, but the Yankees scored six runs in four innings against Boston starter Aaron Cook (2-4).

"The first 100 games have been ---- ," Pedroia said. "We're two games under .500. We're the Boston Red Sox. No one is thrilled where we're at."

The Yankees' goal, of course, is to keep them right where they're at: in the AL East cellar.

"When you are playing in your division, every game is magnified," Martin said. "By doing what we are doing now, playing good defense, getting guys in when it's time, if we just keep doing that, no matter who we are playing, I think we are going to win a lot of ballgames. Obviously, you like to beat Boston, especially at home every time. But we've just got to stay focused on what we have to do."