BY MIKE CORMACK
sportsnet.ca

TORONTO - With the way CC Sabathia has been dealing of late, nothing short of a total effort is going to beat him or his New York Yankees.

Unfortunately for the Toronto Blue Jays, some trouble in the field and a shaky outing from starter Ricky Romero were too much to overcome as the New York Yankees ace handed them a 4-1 defeat Saturday at Rogers Centre before 45,606.

The loss snapped the Jays season-high win streak at five games and dropped them to a game under .500 on the season at 47-48, and two games under .500 at home (21-23).

Things looked good for the Jays early on after staking themselves to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first after Rajai Davis led off with a walk before stealing second and scoring two batters later on Yunel Escobar’s RBI single to centre.

The run snapped Sabathia’s 23.2 consecutive scoreless innings streak.

But in the top of the second on a Nick Swisher liner, Davis froze before retreating, and then watched as the ball sailed just beyond his out-stretched arms to one-hop the fence for a ground-rule double.

Andrew Jones followed it up with an RBI single to tie things up at 1-1, before a Brett Gardner RBI double down the right field line put the Yankees (54-38) up 2-1 and in front for good.

"It was just a tough read for me," Davis said following the game, adding he didn’t think he could have caught the ball had he read it differently. "The ball was hit better than I thought. It was carrying a little bit more than I expected."

The following inning, Toronto’s defence would take centre stage again.

With Yankees runners on the corners, Robinson Cano broke for second following a Romero wild pitch. Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia threw to second catching Cano in a rundown, but when Curtis Granderson broke for home from third, second basemen Aaron Hill’s throw to the plate missed high and wide giving the Yankees a 3-1 advantage.

"We had an opportunity to cut down a run at the plate, but we didn’t quite execute," explained Jays manager John Farrell following the game. "If Aaron’s throw is on target, we probably cut down a run and we’re looking at a 3-1 game and not a 4-1 game. CC was very good. There were not a lot of opportunities to take advantage of."

Meawhile, the Yankees were happy to create their own opportunities such as in the top of the fourth when leadoff batter Brett Gardner—whose speed was a thorn in the Jays’ side all afternoon—took second on a leadoff bloop hit to centre after Davis got caught in between bounces.

A sac bunt and a Derek Jeter infield single later and suddenly it was 4-1 New York.

"The one thing we have to be careful of is when he have those fly balls that drop in," said Farrell. "I think the aggressiveness of Gardner caught (Davis) off guard."

For his part, Davis said he wasn’t victimized by a bad bounce, but Gardner’s speed.

"He just did something I would do," he explained. "He’s a fast runner and he just ran out of the box. I would have done the same thing."

Sabathia, who won his seventh straight game while running his MLB-best record to 14-4, no doubt was happy to receive the extra support, but didn’t need it. The Yankees southpaw went eight innings surrendering just three hits and three walks while striking out eight.

Mariano Rivera—despite allowing back-to-back, one-out singles to Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion to bring the tying run to the plate in the ninth—retired Aaron Hill swinging and got Travis Snider to ground out to short to end the game and earn his 23rd save.

As for Romero (7-9), the Jays lefthander was erratic in his first post all-star start, surrendering six hits and four earned runs with three walks and seven strikeouts over his five innings of work.

"I didn’t really get comfortable and was a little wild with my fastball," explained Romero, who threw 107 pitches (57 for strikes).

In last start prior to the break, Romero gave up six runs in 4.1 innings to the Boston Red Sox, but insists he’s not concerned about his recent performance.

"It’s baseball," he said. "You’re going to struggle at times. I’m not worried about it. I’m just going to continue to work hard."

The Jays—who were without Jose Bautista for a second straight day as he deals with a sprained ankle—had entered the day with an American League best .282 batting average against lefthanders this season, but could muster little against Sabathia after pounding out 31 hits and 23 runs in taking the first two games of the series.

The series concludes Sunday with Toronto’s Carlos Villanueva (5-1, 2.99) taking on New York’s Phil Hughes (0-2, 10.57). The Blue Jays have an off day Monday before hosting a three-game set against the Seattle Mariners beginning Tuesday.

NOTES:

Jays OF Travis Snider failed to get a hit, snapping his seven-game hit streak. He batted .421 (16-38) over that stretch… Friday at single-A Dunedin Dustin McGowan threw 44 pitched 2.2 innings of scoreless ball with three strikeouts as his continues his long road back from shoulder surgery. "The fact that he’s getting though getting up and down three times is a step in the right direction," said Jays manager John Farrell prior to Saturday’s game. "The velocity was pretty consistent. He’s doing everything that we’re hopeful for as the plan is calling for."