HRs From A-Rod, Swisher Rally Yankees In Six Run 8th

Alex Rodriguez's eight inning grand slam erased a four-run deficit and Nick Swisher capped the comeback two batters later with a two-run blast to lift the Yankees to a 6-4 win over the Braves in Atlanta on Tuesday.

Trailing 4-0 in the eighth, six consecutive Yankee hitters reached base beginning with Derek Jeter's one-out single. Curtis Granderson singled, Mark Teixeira walked, then A-Rod lined a 3-2 Jonny Venters pitch over the left field wall to square the score 4-4, and tie Lou Gehrig for the most grand slams of all-time (23).

Venters (3-2) allowed a Robinson Cano single before getting pulled, only to have Cory Gearrin surrender the lead on Swisher's two-run shot.

The rally made a winner of C.C. Sabathia (8-3) after four runs on ten hits over seven innings.

Atlanta's Matt Diaz had a bases-clearing, three-RBI double in the first inning as the Braves jumped out to an early lead. But with the bases loaded again in the eighth, C.C. got pinch hitter Jayson Heyward to ground out, allowing one run to score, the retired Chipper Jones to end the inning and strand two of the nine runners the Braves left on base in the game.

Rafeal Soriano struck out two in the ninth to pick up his tenth save.

Braves starter Mike Minor cruised through 7 1/3 innings of four-hit ball but was taken out after Jeter's rally starting single.

The Yankees have control of first place in the A.L. East as the Rays lost to the Mets 11-2.