With a potential ALCS showdown in the cards, the Yankees were looking to make a statement last night against the Halos, which they did with a 5-3 win in a makeup of a May 3 rainout.

"I think it had the feeling of a real important game in September," manager Joe Girardi said. "A game that could make a difference down the road."

Brett Gardner scored the winning run in the eighth inning. The pinch runner stole third base before coming home on catcher Mike Napoli's throwing error.

"We know the teams we're going to hopefully be playing in October if we get there," said Mark Teixeira, who went 3-for-4 with a two-run triple. "The Angels are going to be one of them, so you need to measure yourself up against the best."

The Yankees' rally bailed out Phil Hughes, who coughed up a one-run lead in the top of the eighth. Hughes limited the damage to one run after loading the bases with nobody out, picking up the win.

Mariano Rivera recorded his 40th save of the season with a scoreless ninth, his 36th successful conversion in a row. The two teams play a three-game set next week in Anaheim.

"We hadn't seen them since they swept us at their place, so it was nice to get a win," Hughes said. "It seems like we're more of a team that waits for the big hits. Gardy can fly, so that was pretty cool to watch."

"It showed them that we have that kind of energy, the same way they play," Robinson Cano said. "It's always good to play like that against a team you might play in the playoffs. That felt like a big game."

Joba Chamberlain went four innings and allowed one run on four hits, striking out two without issuing a walk. It was his first walk-free performance since June 24, a span of 14 starts. His lone mistake was a second-inning curveball that Vladimir Guerrero hit into the left-field seats.

Alfredo Aceves gave up a run in the fifth, but Teixeira's two-run triple put the Yankees back on top. Hughes allowed the eighth-inning run, but like the rest of the Yankees' pitchers, he didn't allow the Angels to put up one of their trademark crooked numbers.

"The one thing they've done to us when they've beaten us is they've put big innings together," Girardi said. "We stayed away from that tonight; they got one, one and one. They had chances, but we made pitches."

The Yankees put another game in between themselves and the Angels in the race for home-field advantage in the American League, pushing the Yanks' lead over the Halos to six games. They also moved 71/2 games ahead of the idle Red Sox, reducing their magic number to clinch the AL East to 12.

Having removed the monkey from their backs with six wins in seven second-half games against the Red Sox, the Yankees are looking to do the same during their final four regular-season games against their West Coast nemesis.

"There were a lot of questions asked of us, "What about Boston?' and the same questions have been asked about the Angels," Girardi said earlier in the day. "This is a very good team that likes to put a lot of pressure on you, but you can't let that pressure affect you."

With the game tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth, Teixeira hit a ground-rule double to right field that bounced into the seats. Alex Rodriguez walked, ending starter Jered Weaver's night.Gardner -- pinch-running for Teixeira -- took off for third, sliding into the bag as Napoli's throw got by third baseman Chone Figgins. Gardner trotted home easily with the go-ahead run, while A-Rod moved to third. He scored on Robinson Cano's RBI single.