逆境中的好結果！王建民獲得本季第十一勝

TORONTO — Once again, Joe Torre seems to have the magic touch.
Torre held a pregame meeting with the Yankees on Saturday, urging his players not to let their three-game losing streak snowball into something much worse.

“He just wanted to make sure we weren’t getting sloppy, because we played a sloppy game the night before,” said Jason Giambi, referring to Friday’s loss to the Blue Jays. “He didn’t want us to let it get away; we’ve been playing so well with so many guys hurt, he didn’t want us to lose our situation and have the wheels come off.”

New York responded to Torre’s words, as the Yankees grinded their way to a 5-4 win over the Blue Jays, snapping the losing streak.

The win, combined with Boston’s loss in Seattle, moved the Yankees within 2 1/2 games of the Red Sox in the American League East.

“This club has been playing hard; I certainly have not had a problem with their effort,” Torre said. “I’m just happy we were able to stop this slide. When you win five games in a row, you don’t want to give it back right away.”

“Remember how we got here and keep going the way we’ve been doing it all year,” Jorge Posada said of Torre’s message. “When two games get away from you, you don’t want to fall into a losing streak.”

The game-winning run didn’t come in the most dramatic of fashions, as Derek Jeter worked a bases-loaded walk against Justin Speier in the seventh inning. But it got the job done.

“We’re not always going to hit home runs and score all these runs and blow them out,” Jeter said. “You’ve got to be able to win the close ones.”

Chien-Ming Wang earned his 11th win of the season, tying Mike Mussina for the team lead in victories. Wang didn’t have his best stuff, but his six innings of four-run ball proved to be enough.

“Wang wasn’t necessarily what we’re used to seeing, but he kept us in the game and gave us a chance to do what we did,” Torre said. “It was a good lift for us.”

If there was any down side for the Yankees in the game, it was another tough day for Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod, who started as the designated hitter, went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. It was just the second time in his career that he K’d four times, the first since June 22, 1995, against the White Sox.

“I didn’t feel that bad at the plate,” said Rodriguez, who was 12-for-36 with five homers against Ted Lilly before Saturday. “It’s just one of those days that makes your head spin a little bit. You just put it behind you. The key is that we won today.”

“Alex has had a lot of success against Lilly, but Lilly got the best of him today,” Torre said. “Alex is struggling right now, swinging and missing at pitches that he hits.”

The Yankees got things started in the second, as Jorge Posada — who got into a heated exchange with Lilly after a pitch came near his head — tripled for the first time in more than four years.

“I was really proud of Jorge, after he got himself so emotionally spent, that he didn’t just swing at anything,” Torre said. “He had a good at-bat after that.”

Bernie Williams followed with a two-run home run, his seventh, giving the Yankees a 2-0 lead.

Toronto tied the game with a run in the second and a run in the fourth, as Eric Hinske’s solo shot off Wang made it a 2-2 game. Lyle Overbay gave Toronto its first lead of the game in the fifth with a two-out, two-run double.

With runners at the corners and two outs in the sixth, Jeter and Johnny Damon tried a double steal. The play caught Lilly off-guard, prompting a balk, which allowed Damon to score to cut the lead to one.

Down 4-3, New York rallied in the seventh, putting runners at first and second with one out. Giambi, pinch-hitting for Nick Green, pulled a one-out RBI double inside the first-base line against Scott Downs to tie the game.

“I knew I was going to be in this game sooner or later,” said Giambi, who entered the game in a 2-for-19 skid. “I just wanted to take a good at-bat and hit the ball hard. I enjoy being in those situations, coming up and driving in the big run.”

“He had an idea what he wanted to do and he did it,” Torre said. “He’s been so huge for us in key situations. He came up big again.”

After an intentional walk to Damon to load the bases, Downs was removed in favor of Speier, who struck out Miguel Cairo for the second out. But Jeter worked a walk against Speier, forcing Melky Cabrera home to give the Yankees a 5-4 lead.

“Jeter is so tough; he’s up there and he’s an aggressive hitter [and] he’s such a great situational hitter,” Jays manager John Gibbons said. “He’ll play the counts and let it fly, but he also makes you throw it over the plate. That’s why he’s so tough. He can beat you so many ways. He’s one of the best players in the game; there’s a reason for it.”

Scott Proctor pitched the seventh, overcoming a one-out double by Frank Catalanotto by striking out Vernon Wells and Troy Glaus, getting the final out on a 98-mph fastball that froze Glaus for a called third strike.

Kyle Farnsworth struck out the side in the eighth, hitting 101 mph on the radar gun. Mariano Rivera closed out the game with a scoreless ninth, earning his 23rd save.

“They came in ready to do what needed to be done,” Torre said. “The last three innings, we got a lead and did something with it.”

“Hopefully, that’s what we can do down the road,” Proctor said of the bullpen’s effort. “We’re all human, so that’s not going to be the case, but right now, for the most part, we’re clicking on all cylinders.”

The Yankees will try to salvage the series split on Sunday, looking to leave town on a high note before heading to Texas. Stopping the losing streak was important, but now they hope to begin a winning streak.

“Once you get past the All-Star break, you don’t want to fall into the trap of losing seven or eight in a row,” Giambi said. “As well as Boston has been playing, you could find yourself way out of the race. We want to keep ourselves within striking distance — if not overtake Boston — before we play them again.”