Judge home runs again as Yankees beat Blue Jays 4-2

TORONTO – Missed opportunities proved costly for the Toronto Blue Jays Thursday night as Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees made the most of them.

One night, after leaving 14 men on base in a no-win victory, the Blue Jays blew several good opportunities in a 4-2 loss at Rogers Center.

“You have to have consistent at-bats from one to nine,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “I think over the course of the first part of the year here, he’s been a little inconsistent with everybody.”

Toronto loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh inning but settled for just one run.

Brandon Belt hit a shallow fly before pinch hitter Vladimir Guerrero Jr. brought home Whit Merrifield with a sacrifice fly. George Springer lined up to end the threat.

“We didn’t really get the big hit in the whole series with guys on base,” Schneider said. “Bases loaded in there with no one out there, you probably want to get a little more than one. It ebbs and flows.

“I think right now just give them credit. Good pitching staff and they threw pitches, we didn’t get the hits.”

Judge and Anthony Volpe homered and Yankees starter Néstor Cortés pitched into the seventh inning. New York (26-20) has won eight of its last 11 games.

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“We did a really good job blocking out all the noise and distractions from the whole series,” Judge said. “We just go out and go about our business.”

Ryan Weber, Albert Abreu and Ron Marinaccio, with their first saves, worked in relief for the visitors, who won three of four in the series.

Judge no doubt hit a two-run home run off José Berríos in the first inning after Gleyber Torres led off the game with a single.

It was the 12th home run of the season for the Yankees slugger and the sixth in his last six games. Volpe added an insurance run in the ninth with a solo shot that hit the left-field foul screen.

“Usually when you throw him pitches in the middle of the plate, he does damage,” Schneider said. “That’s what he did in this whole series.”

Judge went 6-for-14 (. 429) in the series with four home runs, seven RBIs, five walks and a 1.357 slugging percentage.

Cortés (4-2) allowed a solo homer to Bo Bichette in the first frame and left after walking Merrifield in the seventh.

“I thought he had a presence everywhere in the strike zone,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

Bichette’s home run was his ninth of the season. He had three of Toronto’s six hits.

Berrios (3-4) settled quickly after Judge’s outburst, retiring 12 of the next 13 batters he faced.

He walked Volpe starting in the fifth and stayed in the game after a return hit him in the lower leg. Aaron Hicks reached on the play, but Torres grounded into a double play to end the threat.

Judge nearly hit another home run in the sixth inning, but a video review determined it was only a double.

The ball hit the top of the wall in center field and bounced back into play. Judge, who is riding a six-game hitting streak, was left stranded.

New York strengthened their lead in the seventh when Hicks drove in Oswaldo Cabrera, who led off the inning with a double. Berríos was replaced by Yimi García, who fanned out Judge with runners on the corners.

Reliever Nate Pearson pitched an clean eighth inning for Toronto (25-19) before giving up Volpe’s seventh home run of the year in the ninth.

Berríos allowed three earned runs, six hits and one walk while striking out eight. Cortés struck out six and allowed five hits, one walk and two earned runs.

The announced attendance was 33,290 and the game took two hours and 29 minutes to play.

KNEE PAIN

Guerrero was left out of the starting lineup for the second night in a row due to right knee pain.

The first baseman was injured while fielding a bunt Tuesday night and is considered day-to-day.

GOING UP

The Blue Jays will continue their 10-day, 10-game homestand on Friday night with the opener of a three-game weekend against the Baltimore Orioles.

Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (5-0, 3.89 ERA) was scheduled to start for the Blue Jays against right-hander Kyle Gibson (4-3, 4.67).

The Yankees will end their seven-game road trip with a three-game series in Cincinnati.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 18, 2023.

Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter.

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