Major League Baseball

Yanks stumble again in 6-2 loss to Blue Jays

Published Sep. 20, 2013 4:17 a.m. ET

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There aren't too many tomorrows left for the struggling New York Yankees.

The Yankees stumbled again in what appears to be an increasingly futile September, losing to the Toronto Blue Jays 6-2 on Thursday night, their fifth defeat in six games.

''There's only so many `Get `em tomorrows' left,'' infielder Mark Reynolds said.

Hiroki Kuroda lost his fifth straight decision, allowing two runs in the third inning and a solo home run to Anthony Gose in the sixth. Adam Lind added a three-run homer in the seventh off Joba Chamberlain.

New York, which dropped 3 1/2 games back for the second AL wild-card berth, lost two of three in Toronto while scoring just six runs and hitting .198 (19 for 96).

''It's frustrating,'' manager Joe Girardi said. ''We haven't swung the bats that well for the last week.''

In danger of missing the playoffs for only the second time in 19 seasons, the Yankees return home for a six-game homestand against San Francisco and Tampa Bay - what could be Mariano Rivera's final games in the Bronx - then close with a three-game series at Houston.

''We've got to run the table, there's no way around it,'' Reynolds said. ''We've got some tough games coming up. The Giants have good pitching, Tampa's got good pitching. We've got to have a good homestand and hopefully go into Houston with a chance.''

The Yankees opened this 10-game road trip by taking three of four from Baltimore but were swept in Boston last weekend before losing the series to last-place Toronto.

''We ran into the Red Sox wave and we haven't recovered,'' Alex Rodriguez said.

New York won 12 of its first 13 games against the Blue Jays this year but lost four of its final six. Kuroda has stumbled of late: He is 0-5 with a 6.37 ERA in his last seven outings after going 11-7 with a 2.33 ERA through Aug. 12.

''He was in trouble every inning,'' Girardi said of Kuroda. ''He got some double plays that helped him. It seemed like the first guy was on every inning, or the first two guys were on every inning. He did a really good job of minimizing damage.''

Kuroda allowed three runs and eight hits in six innings with four walks and seven strikeouts.

Rookie Todd Redmond (4-2) gave up one run and four hits in a career-high seven innings with seven strikeouts and a walk. Sergio Santos pitched the eighth but the Blue Jays needed three relievers to get through the ninth, when Casey Janssen relieved with the bases loaded and one out, then finished for his 32nd save in 34 chances.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Redmond is ''doing a tremendous job.''

''He's got strikeout ability,'' Gibbons said. ''He competes. He doesn't give in, nothing rattles him.''

Jose Reyes put Toronto ahead with an RBI double in the third and scored on Brett Lawrie's grounder.

Curtis Granderson cut the deficit in the sixth with the Yankees' first home run since Brendan Ryan connected off Boston's John Lackey last Friday, but Toronto made it 3-1 in the bottom half on a home run by Gose, who had three hits.

Chamberlain, a free agent to be, allowed his eighth home run - his career high as a reliever. He relieved to start the seventh, walked Munenori Kawasaki, gave up a single to Lawrie singled and then allowed Lind's drive into the second deck.

''I let my team down and that's the frustrating part, especially at this time of year,'' Chamberlain said.

New York had the bases loaded with one out in the ninth when Janssen relieved. Vernon Wells hit an RBI grounder and Lyle Overbay grounded out.

Rodriguez went 0 for 3 with a walk. He has just one hit in his past 22 at-bats.

''I think you just keep running him out there,'' Girardi said.

NOTES: A letter filed with the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn on Thursday said Yankees LHP Andy Pettitte's deposition is scheduled for Tuesday in New York in Brian McNamee's lawsuit against Roger Clemens. Clemens has asked that Pettitte's deposition be postponed because one of Clemens' lawyers is not available. ... Lind's home run was his 22nd. He has six homers and 14 RBIs in 15 games this month. ... Toronto slugger Edwin Encarnacion underwent successful surgery on his left wrist Thursday. ... The Blue Jays honored Rivera with a traditional Inuit carving and made a $10,000 donation to Rivera's charitable foundation. ... Comedian Sarah Silverman threw out the ceremonial first pitch.