WHAT IT MEANS: After dominating the best of the National League, the Yankees are now going to try to take advantage of the AL Central. The Yanks were 13-5 against the NL. Monday's 7-1 win started the final home stand of the first half, a seven-gamer vs. the AL Central's Indians and White Sox.

With the victory, the Yankees are now up three games in the AL East over the idle Orioles.

HIRO AGAIN: Hiroki Kuroda pitched another gem, leaving with two on in the eighth. He officially ended up going seven innings, giving up one earned run, while striking out seven and walking two. Kuroda added to his recent sensational run. He is 4-1 in his last six starts with a 1.93 ERA. Kuroda is at .500 (7-7) on the season. His season ERA is down to 3.40.

ROCKIN' ROBBIE: Robinson Cano is on fire. In the first, he knocked a two-run double to put the Yankees on the board. It was a rare RISP hit for Cano, who entered the at-bat at .154 on the year in such situations. In the third, Cano picked up his next RBI the 2012 Yankees way. He nailed a solo shot. He has now homered in six of his last eight games.

Cano also made a nifty play in the field in the second. When he is right, there is no better player on the Yankees to watch.

BACK-TO-BACK: After Cano's third inning homer, Nick Swisher made it a back-to-back. It was the fourth time on the year the Yankees have done so, which is half as many as all of last year. Cano and Swisher were involved in a back-to-back-to-back with Andruw Jones finishing things off against the Mets earlier in the month. On Monday, after the back-to-back, Raul Ibanez walked before Eric Chavez struck out.

WISE GUY: Dewayne Wise started in center and made a nice impression. In the second, Wise hit a no-doubt-about-it two-run shot. His first homer as a Yankee. In the sixth, Wise nailed an RBI triple. Wise started in center for Curtis Granderson, who had played center the first 71 games. Can you say Wally Pipp? We can't either, but a nice showing by Wise.

By the way, according to my tweeps, John Sterling's home run call was, "Dewayne, you're a very wise man."

SMILING SWISH: In the eighth, after Kuroda left with two men on, the Indians hit three balls hard with Swisher catching each one of them. A run scored in the sequence, but the laughing Swisher made it up on the big video board. The crowd, what was left of it, got into it.

OUCH: Mark Teixeira got hit on his right knuckles in the seventh. He stayed in the game.

BRONX WAVE: The fans did the wave in the seventh. The attendance was 42,290.

COMING ATTRACTIONS: I'm going to be in the blog tonight. I'll try to get some stuff up as soon as possible. Early in the morning, I have a First Pitch on Derek Jeter, who turns 38 on Tuesday.

QUESTION OF THE NIGHT: Do you now believe in Kuroda?