NEW YORK -- Starlin Castro and Anthony Swarzak will not get credited with saves in the official boxscore.

Their performances changed how things unfolded for the New York Yankees.

Castro drove in four runs, Swarzak highlighted 2 2/3 perfect innings by getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning and the Yankees moved over the .500 mark for the first time in over three weeks with a 7-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

The Yankees were close to getting to the seventh with a save situation with their trio of hard-throwing relievers Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman having pitched the previous two games.

"I think it's important that it happens the rest of the year because we can't rely on them every night," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "I thought that tacking on runs was extremely important."

Hoping to avoid using them for a third straight game and save them for possible close leads in the final two games of the series, Castro padded a 3-1 lead with a two-run double in the sixth off Odrisamer Despaigne.

Castro hit a second-deck two-run home run in the second inning off Vance Worley and Jacoby Ellsbury added an RBI single in the fourth. Those hits gave New York a 3-0 lead into the sixth when Nathan Eovaldi (8-6) began laboring.

Eovaldi has breezed through five innings with 54 pitches but ran into trouble with one out when he walked Ryan Flaherty. He lost the shutout when Joey Rickard doubled and Swarzak entered after Manny Machado walked on four pitches.

Swarzak got out of it by getting Mark Trumbo to foul out to first baseman Rob Refsnyder and Jonathan Schoop to foul out to shortstop Didi Gregorius.

"Swarzak came in a tough spot and got two unbelievable outs," Yankees catcher Brian McCann said. "It saved the game."

When Swarzak entered, Betances began warming but once Castro doubled and Swarzak retired the next five hitters, neither member of the trio was needed.

"It's important every night," Swarzak said. "Those guys it's incredible what they do and what they can do and what they've been doing. I learned a lot from watching them and to be able to get the job done tonight was nice."

And for good measure, Chase Headley padded the lead with a two-run home run in the eighth off Mychal Givens, giving the Yankees their seventh win decided by at least six runs and putting them over .500 (47-46) for the first time since June 24.

New York, which has not been two games over .500 since April 13, is 6 1/2 games behind the Orioles. Had the Orioles won Sunday and the Yankees lost Sunday, the deficit would have been 10 1/2 games but now with two more wins New York can slice it to 4 1/2 games

The Orioles (53-39) lost their third straight and were held to one run for the second straight game after scoring at least twice in 53 consecutive contests. Baltimore was held to four hits, its lowest since June 10 and did not hit a home run for the first time in 10 games.

"We don't say, well this is just que sera, something that comes about," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "You can't live in that world. We're better than that. I know our guys are frustrated but you also got to tip your hat to their pitching."

Worley made his third start for the Orioles and allowed three runs and three hits in 4 1/3 innings.

"They put up some good at-bats and fouled a lot of pitches off," Worley said. "They made me work and a couple of the guys I wasn't going to give into and give them something to hit."

The Yankees took a 2-0 lead with two outs in the second when Castro drove a 3-1 pitch into the second deck in left field for his 11th home run.

New York extended its lead to 3-0 with one out in the fifth as Refsnyder walked, stole second before scoring on Ellsbury's base hit under second baseman Schoop's glove. Ellsbury's hit also ended Worley's night, as Baltimore brought in Despaigne.

NOTES: Neither team's regular first baseman started. Baltimore's Chris Davis (stomach virus) missed his second consecutive game, and New York's Mark Teixeira (sore left foot) missed his third in a row. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Davis was still feeling week. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he was unsure if Teixeira would play Wednesday. ... Baltimore placed OF Hyun Soo-Kim (strained right hamstring) on the 15-day disabled list, purchased the contract of OF Julio Borbon from Double-A Bowie and designated OF Henry Urrutia for assignment. ... Baltimore RHP Darren O'Day (strained right hamstring) threw 25 pitches in a simulated game Tuesday afternoon. He will pitch at Bowie on Friday if he feels good on Wednesday, and he could be activated Sunday or Monday. ... X-rays on Orioles C Matt Wieters' sore right foot were negative. Wieters was hit by a pitch on the foot in the first inning Monday.