MINNEAPOLIS - Andy Pettitte shrugged off another ageless performance by claiming hes still not as sharp as he wants to be. . The New York Yankees are plenty pleased by the way hes been pitching. Pettitte threw six scoreless innings and the Yankees hit four home runs Monday to beat the Minnesota Twins 6-3 and extend their AL East lead. "Im happy to get through it, happy to give us a good start," Pettitte said, adding: "Its just theres definitely some room for me to improve. The Yankees took a 1 1/2-game edge over Baltimore, which split a doubleheader with Toronto. This is the first time since after play on Sept. 2 their margin has been more than one game. According to STATS research, the 21-day stretch during which the Yankees and Orioles were separated by one game or less was the second-longest September streak in Major League Baseball history, the most days since 1897. "Right now I feel like everything is kind of rolling for us. Its real calm in here. Its relaxed. Guys are having a ton of fun," said Nick Swisher, who was the first to take Liam Hendriks (1-8) deep. After playing three tense, one-run games against Oakland during the weekend, including their startling comeback for a 14-inning win on Saturday, the Yankees enjoyed an easy one for a change. This was New Yorks 10th victory in 12 games. Pettitte (5-3) hasnt given up a run in 11 innings since rejoining the rotation last week. The 40-year-old threw five scoreless innings against Toronto to mark his comeback from a broken lower left leg that kept him out for almost three months. His successful unretirement, after supposedly ending his remarkable career in 2010, has been a big help for the banged-up Yankees even though this was only his 11th start of the season. Swishers two-out, two-run homer in the first inning off Liam Hendriks (1-8) sailed into the seats above right-centre field to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead. Curtis Grandersons solo shot in the fourth went even higher and farther, landing in the second deck. Granderson became the fourth player in the majors to hit 40 homers this season. In the bottom of that inning, Granderson made a post-season-worthy throw from centre field after fielding a two-out single as Ryan Doumit raced from second base to home. The ball arrived just in time, and catcher Russell Martin made a quick sweep tag that grazed Doumits shoulder a spilt-second before his hand touched the plate. Then in the seventh, Raul Ibanez -- who is 7 for 12 with three homers in his last three games -- went deep with a drive that reached the standing room space near the gate beyond right field. Eric Chavez added one more home run against Hendriks, an opposite-field liner with one out that barely reached the flower bed in left. "Its a good lineup. Theres no breaks in it. Theres no breathers," said Hendriks, who recorded his first major league win last week at Cleveland after 17 starts without one. He gave up eight hits, six runs and one walk, striking out four over 6 1-3 innings. Those career statistics for Hendriks are a stark contrast to Pettitte, who stretched his unbeaten streak against the Twins to 12 straight starts. That dates to May 2001 and includes division series victories in 2009 and 2010. The Yankees have had him on a pitch count in his return to help him regain strength in his legs, but he threw 88 times without any trouble. Pettitte gave up seven hits and one walk. He struck out three. "I love this guy. Theres nothing that fazes him," Swisher said, adding: "You can only just look at that and be like, Man, I want to be like that." The Yankees, whove been alone in or tied for first place since June 11, started a favourable final stretch of the season, with Minnesota, Toronto and Boston left on the schedule, owners of three of the four worst records in the league. The Orioles also finish with the Blue Jays and Red Sox but must wrap up with a three-game series at Tampa Bay. The Rays still have an outside chance in the wild card chase. So now the Yankees have what seems like a large 1 1/2-game cushion, considering how close the race has been. "I wouldnt say that," manager Joe Girardi said. "Any time you can make it bigger than its been, its nice." NOTES: The longest September streak of teams separated by one game or less was in the NL between the Boston Beaneaters (now the Atlanta Braves) and the Baltimore Orioles (now defunct) from Sept. 1-23, 1897. ... Derek Jeter extended his season-high hitting to streak to 18 straight games with a ninth-inning single for the Yankees against Matt Capps, the former closer who pitched for the first time since July 16 due to a shoulder problem. ... Yankees RH reliever David Aardsma, whose recovery from Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery last July is complete, joined the team at Target Field and took injured RH Michael Pinedas uniform No. 35. Aardsma could be activated from the DL this series, but Girardi said hed have to "pick some spots" since the 30-year-old hasnt pitched in the majors in two years. ... Girardi said 1B Mark Teixeira, out with a strained left calf for all but one game since Aug. 27, ran the bases and took ground balls and batting practice at the teams minor league complex in Tampa, Fla., and fared well. Girardi stopped short of confirming Teixeira would return this week at Toronto, however. "The concern is that you rush him and then he has that one play and then you know that hes probably done for the season. So youve got to be sure," the manager said. ... Twins LF Josh Willingham left the game with a strained left shoulder, trying to catch Chavezs homer. ... Pedro Florimon hit his first career home run for the Twins in the eighth against Cory Wade. [url=http://www.shopnflonline.net/Black-Friday-Chicago-Bears-Walter-Payton-Jerse... Payton Black Friday Jersey . Mathias Niederberger made 36 saves in Game 4 as Barrie doubled up Oshawa 4-2 to sweep the best-of-seven second-round matchup. The 20-year-old goaltender was steady for the Colts all series, but was at his best on the road in Games 3 and 4 as he turned away 71-of-73 combine shots. . Since Im the first one to emphasize that overall statistics (or standings) are not necessarily representative of the current value for a team, especially with respect to injuries, these statistics merely provide a baseline for the series, perhaps providing an idea what a team needs to do in order to emerge victorious. [url=http://www.shopnflonline.net/Black-Friday-San-Diego-Chargers-Doug-Flutie-Je... . The Jan. 16-22 championships in Moncton, N.B., will feature a Saturday lineup that includes the womens, pairs and ice dance free programs, plus the short program for the men. [url=http://www.shopnflonline.net/Black-Friday-T-Shirts-Arizona-Cardinals-Cyber-... Cardinals T-Shirts Cyber Monday . -- Defending champion Luke Donald faces Ernie Els in the first round of the Match Play Championship. . The top-ranked player twisted his ankle while representing Serbia in the Davis Cup in April then appeared to hurt it again in a second-round loss to Grigor Dimitrov at the Madrid Open on Tuesday.LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Defending IndyCar champion Ryan Hunter-Reay was fastest in Fridays practice at Long Beach, where Mike Conway made his return seven months after walking away from IndyCar. Hunter-Reay, who won two weeks ago at Barber, ran a lap at 1:09.4224 in his Andretti Autosport Chevrolet. Conway was second for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The Englishman walked away from his seat before last seasons finale because he was uncomfortable racing on ovals. But the 2011 Long Beach winner landed a one-race deal with Rahal Letterman Lanigan for Sundays race. "Got rid of the cobwebs and the car felt good," Conway said. "Im happy too be here, dont feel rusty. [url=http://www.shopnflonline.net/Black-Friday-San-Francisco-49ers-Deion-Sanders... Sanders Black Friday Jersey. Ive been thinking about this race since January." Will Power was third in what was a messy second practice stopped four times for spins. The second practice was stopped first for Sebastian Saavedras spin. Justin Wilson later hit the wall, and Simona de Silvestro hit his stopped car. Scott Dixon brought out the third flag when he sideswiped a barrier, and EJ Visos crash ended the practice early. "It was a weird day, just never really got a rhythm with the stoppages," Hunter-Reay said. "It took a little bit of time out of what we were trying to accomplish with the car." ' ' '