Gibbons: ‘Been a tough grind’ for Blue Jays

Yankees: RHP Nathan Eovaldi still has inflammation in his right elbow and won’t be able to resume throwing until next week, Girardi said.

The Jays’ starter on Tuesday, Marco Estrada, got off to a rocky start as the Yankees took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on two doubles, a single and a walk.

Bautista one-upped himself in the ninth when he threw out Chris Young on a would-be sacrifice fly with a bang-on thrown to Navarro at home to keep the Jays within a run.

Price was staked to an early three-run lead and was only really tested in the third inning when the Yankees loaded the bases with one out. We’re facing Miller and you don’t expect that and Navarro hits a big home run.

Sorry, this video is not available in your country/region. He called on lefthander Brett Cecil to face the top of the Yankees order.

Girardi actually was forced to bring in his closer, Andrew Miller, to get the last out, which was a force out from Travis d’Arnaud. “I don’t know how else to put it”, Bird said of arriving in a pennant race as the understudy for Mark Teixeira, who is lost for the season due to a leg fracture.

“We’ve been playing outstanding defence so we’re due for a clunker like this”, said starting pitcher Mark Buehrle, who was charged with an error in the fourth inning.

The Yankees dropped to 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Blue Jays and have 13 games to play.

Cashman’s big move was to acquire Dustin Ackley, who has proven to be quite valuable of late, though clearly not as important as Price has been to the Blue Jays. One of the things I don’t understand is why our pitchers don’t hit when they go to National League cities in the minor leagues. There’s no need to decide on specifics just yet, of course, but the right-hander has done nothing but impress as a starter despite being left out of Toronto’s opening day rotation. Nova was charged with six runs on seven hits and a BB over 1.2 innings of a 10-7 defeat. Estrada shut the Yankees down after a first-inning rally, retiring 11 in a row at one point before handing the ball over to the bullpen.

“I’m not anxious about Sanchez, (he’s) fine”, Gibbons said. “I could have pitched a little better”. With his team down by two runs, Moreland tied the game with one swing of the bat.

Asked if it was the biggest hit of his life, Bird-polished and reserved in interviews-first waffled, saying all his hits felt good.

“I wish I would’ve located a bit better”, he said.

And while Price was doing well before his trade to the Blue Jays, he has jumped up a notch in the month of September.

The Yankee jitters would continue when Justin Smoak lashed a line drive that New York right fielder Carlos Beltran played casually, as if he had a bead on it – only he didn’t.

“He’s known for that”. And it was without question the most meaningful of his career.

“It’s been a tough grind the last few days”, manager John Gibbons said.

That pitch is down and away and Bird somehow still hooked it out to right field for a go-ahead three-run homer.

The Blue Jays stranded the bases loaded in the eighth against Dellin Betances, but they weren’t dead yet. He did it again Tuesday against a great hitter in Encarnacion. “He feels good and that was a clear indication there”. “He was probably as fired up as I’ve seen him all year, too“.

Toronto (86-64) has had its way with New York (82-67), winning 12 of the 17 matchups between the teams – including a 4-2 victory in Monday’s series opener – to build a 3½-game lead atop the AL East. That represents the most wins the Blue Jays have ever had in one season against the Yankees.