Happ Disappoints Again, Yankees Lose As Subpar Umpires Toss Gardner
TORONTO (AP) — Brett Gardner lost his cool and the New York Yankees lost their nine-game winning streak, beaten by the Toronto Blue Jays 8-2 Friday night.
Teoscar Hernandez homered twice, Danny Jansen hit a three-run blast and Randal Grichuk added a two-run shot. Toronto connected three times off homer-prone lefty J.A. Happ (9-7).
Blue Jays rookie Bo Bichette went hitless for the first time in his 12-game career, ending a major league record streak that saw him hit at least one double in nine consecutive games. Instead of contributing with his bat, the 21-year-old shortstop bailed the Blue Jays out with his glove, making a run-saving catch on Did Gregorius' bases-loaded liner to end the fifth.
Bichette walked and scored in the first, grounded out in the third and fourth and struck out in the seventh. His average dropped from .408 to .385.
Gardner was ejected and had to be restrained from going after home plate umpire Chris Segal in the fourth.
Segal called Cameron Maybin out on a third strike that appeared to miss low but was lifted into the strike zone by catcher Danny Jansen. Yankees manager Aaron Boone, bench coach Josh Bard and Gardner protested from the dugout before Segal ejected Gardner following another low strike during Mike Tauchman's at-bat.
At first, Boone came out alone to argue with Segal. Initially calm when he left the dugout, Gardner soon lost his temper when he learned he'd been ejected and had to be restrained by Boone, Tauchman and crew chief Dan Iassogna. Gardner had doubled and struck out earlier in the game.
Last month at Yankee Stadium, Gardner became upset with the strike zone in a game against Tampa Bay and used the bat to repeatedly pound the bat rack and the underside of the dugout roof. Boone took off on a profane rant against the umpire after Gardner was called out on strikes.
Aaron Judge, who was not in the starting lineup, came on to play right field in the bottom of the inning for the AL East leaders. Maybin moved from right to left with Tauchman going from left to center.
Hernandez hit a solo homer in the second and added a two-run drive off Tommy Kahnle in the eighth for the sixth multihomer game of his career. The homers were his 16th and 17th.
New York's Gio Urshela, who homered twice at Baltimore Wednesday and did it again in Toronto on Thursday, went 0 for 3 with a walk.
Happ (9-7) allowed six runs and four hits in five innings. He has given up a career-worst 29 home runs this season, tying him with Houston's Justin Verlander and Seattle's Yusei Kikuchi for most in the majors.
Tauchman and Mike Ford hit solo home runs for the Yankees, who have two or more homers in a season-high eight straight games.
Blue Jays right-hander Sean Reid-Foley (2-2) allowed one run and five hits in five innings.
TRAINER'S ROOM:
INF Gleyber Torres (core injury) could return over the weekend, Boone said. Torres has missed the past three games.
C Gary Sanchez (strained left groin) is expected to be activated off the injured list Saturday. RHP Luis Severino (right rotator cuff) felt good after throwing off the mound Friday, the first time he'd done so since March. Boone said he was pleased with what he saw in Severino's 23-pitch session.
ROTATION RE-JIG:
Yankees RHP Masahiro Tanaka has been pushed back from Saturday to Sunday, giving New York more space between a bullpen day Saturday and one in Monday's doubleheader against Baltimore.
UP NEXT:
New York has not named a starter for Saturday.
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