Frank Thomas homered three times and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox 6-1 on Monday night, allowing the Yankees to cut the AL East lead to 3 1/2 games. New York beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-5.

It's the closest the Yankees have been since before play on April 11.

"We've come too far and worked too hard to start counting your chips," said Yankees manager Joe Torre, whose club also opened its wild-card lead to 3 1/2 games over the Detroit Tigers.

Hughes got help from a bullpen that escaped two bases-loaded jams, and Doug Mientkiewicz, Jorge Posada and Bobby Abreu provided the offense and the Yankees waited out an inconsistent Daniel Cabrera (9-17).

Hughes (4-3) allowed two runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings, walking two.

"You see the confidence growing," Mientkiewicz said.

Cabrera hit consecutive batters with pitches in the second, loading the bases before a two-run single by Mientkiewicz tied it at 2.

Back in the lineup after a night off Sunday at Boston, Matsui gave the Yankees the lead with a solo shot in the third - his first homer in 123 at-bats since Aug. 8 at Toronto off Roy Halladay. Matsui began the day in a 5-for-43 (.116) skid.

"The result was a home run, but the swing itself really felt good. I put a good swing on it, hit the ball hard. I hadn't done that in a while," Matsui said through a translator.