Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano and Brett Gardner hit home runs as the New York Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the visiting Baltimore Orioles with a 6-3 win on Thursday afternoon.

It was the fifth consecutive win for the Yankees and could have marked the last game for Baltimore manager Dave Trembley, whose club suffered its eighth straight loss and dipped to a major league-worst 15-39.

Yankees ace CC Sabathia (5-3) pitched seven steady innings, allowing three runs on three hits and striking out seven in improved to 12-1 lifetime against the Orioles.

The burly left-hander ended a two-game losing streak and won for the first time since May 3. He is 3-0 this season against Baltimore. Mariano Rivera got his 12th save.

Cano, who entered the game leading the American League with a .373 average, laced an RBI double to left-center in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to 17 games.

Rodriguez smacked a two-run homer in the third as the Yankees built a 5-1 lead off winless Orioles starter Kevin Millwood (0-6), who yielded six runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Luke Scott had a two-run homer and Adam Jones a solo blast for the Orioles, who fell to 1-8 on the season against New York, including eight straight defeats.