Seattle, WA -- (Sports Network) - Bobby Abreu had a solo home run and finished 3-for-4 with three runs driven in and two scored, missing the cycle by a double, as the New York Yankees kept their fleeting postseason hopes alive with a 7-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners in the middle duel of a three- game set.

Jason Giambi went 3-for-5 with a solo blast, two RBI and a pair of runs scored for the Yankees, who have won four of six and moved within 7 1/2 games of the Boston Red Sox for the lead in the Wild Card race. Xavier Nady and Hideki Matsui each drove in a run in the win.

Sidney Ponson (8-5) lasted six innings and yielded three runs on five hits while taking the win. Mariano Rivera recorded the final four outs to secure his 33rd save of the year.

"He had (his sinker) right from the start," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of Ponson. "It was outstanding. He made the one pitch that cost him the lead, but our guys responded with five runs."

Raul Ibanez went 2-for-3 with a two-run blast and drove in all of the runs for Seattle, which has dropped three of their last four contests. Jeremy Reed went 3-for-4 and scored twice in defeat. Starter Ryan Rowland-Smith got a no- decision after lasting 6 1/3 innings and giving up three runs on seven hits and four walks.

Down by a run, the pinstripers grabbed the lead with a huge seventh inning. Ivan Rodriguez led off with a single but was out as Johnny Damon followed with a force out. Sean Green (4-5) then came on in relief before Damon nabbed second and third while Derek Jeter was working a walk.

Justin Thomas was summoned from the 'pen and immediately yielded a two-run triple to Abreu. Roy Corcoran was the next Seattle hurler used, and he drilled Alex Rodriguez before Giambi solved him for an RBI ground-rule double. Nady grounded out and Matsui singled, both of which produced a run, to give NY a 7-3 lead.

Reed started a two-out rally off Joba Chamberlain in the eighth inning with a single. Adrian Beltre followed with another single and Ibanez's single then plated Reed to make it a 7-4 affair.

Rivera, who came in to close out the eighth, got pinch-hitter Tug Hulett to ground to Robinson Cano for the first out. Yuniesky Betancourt followed suit with a grounder to Jeter for the second out and former Yankee Miguel Cairo went down swinging to end the game.

"We have three more weeks to go, I need to keep working hard, finish strong, and hopefully at the end of September we can have another month to play," Ponson said. "That's what everybody in this clubhouse is shooting for."

The Yanks got on the board in the first inning as Abreu took a 2-1 fastball from Rowland-Smith over the fence in right-center for a 1-0 NY lead.

Giambi drove a Rowland-Smith fastball over the fence in right field to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead in the sixth stanza.

The M's rallied with two outs to take the lead in the home half, though. Reed and Beltre got things going with back-to-back, two-out singles before Ibanez golfed Ponson's 1-1 fastball just over the fence in right field for a 3-2 Seattle advantage.

Game Notes

Beltre extended his hitting streak to 12 games...The Yankees are 7-1 vs. Seattle this year.