George Springer homers and Blue Jays hold Yankees to 3 hits, winning 2-0 for 4-game split

NEW YORK (AP) — George Springer homered, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reached base three times and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 2-0 on Thursday night to split a four-game series.

Springer hit his second homer of the series and gave the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead in the seventh inning by sending a 2-2 slider from Camilo Doval into the left-field seats.

Toronto went with a bullpen game — highlighted by a career-best 4 1/3 innings from Spencer Miles — and held the Yankees to three hits, the fifth time New York finished with three or fewer. Aaron Judge went 0 for 4, was 1 for 15 in the series and has not homered or driven in a run in 10 games since May 10 at Milwaukee.

Judge’s streak without an RBI matches the worst of his career, done three times previously.

The Yankees lost for the ninth time in 13 games heading into Gerrit Cole’s return from reconstructive elbow surgery in the opener of a three-game series against Tampa Bay. New York dropped 4 1/2 games behind the Rays in the AL East.

Guerrero walked in his first two plate appearances and singled in the fifth. He stole second in the first and scored on Daulton Varsho’s 66.5 mph double off Carlos Rodón (0-2) that caromed off the third base bag.

Braydon Fisher and rookie Adam Macko (1-1) pitched 1 1/3 innings apiece ahead of Miles, a Rule 5 draft pick who allowed two hits, struck out six and walked one while throwing a career-high 63 pitches.

Tyler Rogers ended the eighth by getting Judge on a double-play grounder. Jeff Hoffman pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save and first since April 20.

Rodón allowed one run and three hits in five innings.

Up next

Blue Jays: RHP Kevin Gausman (3-3, 3.45 ERA) opposes Pittsburgh RHP Bubba Chandler (1-5, 5.14) on Friday in Toronto.

Yankees: Cole makes his first start since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series Friday night. RHP Nick Martinez (4-1, 1.51) pitches for the Rays.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

Larry Fleisher, The Associated Press