Major League Baseball

Blue Jays 3, Yankees 0

Published Sep. 18, 2011 7:24 p.m. ET

foxsports

Brandon Morrow's newest pitch helped him throw eight shutout innings against the New York Yankees.

Morrow used his new cut fastball to win for the first time in six starts and Adam Lind backed him with a pair of solo homers in a 3-0 win Sunday.

''I needed that one just to get my confidence back,'' Morrow said. ''I'm still trying to finish strong and that's a good place to start.''

Morrow (10-11) allowed four hits in eight innings, struck out eight and walked one. The right-hander, who retired 12 in a row during one stretch, had been 0-4 in six starts since beating Seattle on Aug. 17.

''Today he was unhittable,'' Lind said. ''When he has that kind of stuff, he's one of the best pitchers in the big leagues.''

All four hits off Morrow were singles, and three didn't get out of the infield.

''He had some of the best stuff I've seen all year,'' New York's Eric Chavez said. ''He was throwing the ball well in New York when we faced him last time but today it just seemed to have a little bit more life on it. His slider was down and hard and his fastball away was just taking off.''

What the Yankees thought was a slider was actually Morrow's new cutter. The right-hander had been working on the pitch between outings and threw it for the first time in his latest start, Sept. 13 at Boston.

''He's taken his slider and tightened it up some,'' Blue Jays manager John Farrell said. ''A lot of the pitches where he was in fastball counts, he would go to the cutter.''

New York helped Morrow by getting thrown out twice on the bases. Robinson Cano was caught stealing by catcher J.P. Arencibia on the back end of an attempted double steal in the first, and Eduardo Nunez was thrown out by right fielder Jose Bautista trying to stretch his sixth-inning single.

Frank Francisco pitched around Nunez's double in the ninth for his 16th save in 20 chances. Francisco has converted 11 of his past 12 opportunities.

Lind hit solo homers in the second and fourth off Freddy Garcia (11-8), his third multihomer game this season and the seventh of his career. Lind has 26 homers this season but had not hit once since Sept. 3 at Yankee Stadium.

Toronto's win denied Mariano Rivera the chance to go for the career saves record. One day after tying Trevor Hoffman with his 601st save, Rivera never got in the game.

New York, which remained 4 1/2 games ahead of second-place Boston in the AL East, has lost three of four and seven of 11. The Yankees headed home after the game for an eight-game homestand against Minnesota, Tampa Bay and Boston, their 15th playoff berth in 16 seasons within reach.

''We've got to go home and play better, there's no doubt at about it,'' Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.

Garcia (11-8) allowed three runs, five hits and three walks in 4 2-3 innings. He is 1-1 with a 6.56 ERA in his last five starts and has allowed at least two homers in each of his past three outings.

Eric Thames drove in Toronto's final run with a fifth-inning sacrifice fly. Thames left during his at-bat in the seventh after a foul tip struck him over the left eye, knocking his batting helmet off. Thames suffered a cut over his eye but was not seriously injured.

''That's kind of a scary moment,'' Farrell said. ''At first, you thought it hit him in the helmet to take the helmet off but it was a direct blow to the eye and then caromed to the visor and took it off.''

NOTES: Lind's first homer snapped a 34-inning drought for Toronto. ... New York was shutout for the eighth time this season. ... Blue Jays C Jose Molina did not start after he was hit on the right forearm by a foul tip Saturday.