Ellsbury's 3 RBIs back Tanaka as Yanks beat Blue Jays 5-3

Jacoby Ellsbury overcame a first-inning deficit against R.A. Dickey with a two-run homer on the knuckleballer's third pitch of the game, then added an RBI single to lead the New York Yankees over the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3 Monday.

In a matchup of teams fighting for playoff berths as the season passed Labor Day, Masahiro Tanaka (12-4) settled down after a shaky first to win his fifth straight decision.

New York (71-65) matched its season high of six games over .500 but remained on the periphery of contention, 3 1/2 games back for the AL's second wild card. The AL East-leading Blue Jays (77-60) started the day one game ahead of Boston.