Guerrero has 2 RBIs as Blue Jays win 5-4 and deal Yankees first series loss this season

Updated Apr. 16, 2024 11:22 p.m. ET

Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reached base four times and had two RBIs, Yusei Kikuchi won for the first time this season and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Yankees 5-4 on Tuesday night, handing New York its third consecutive loss.

Bo Bichette hit an RBI single and Justin Turner added a sacrifice fly as the Blue Jays became the first opponent to win a series against the Yankees this year. New York had won its first five series for the third time in franchise history, matching its starts of 1926 and 2010.

Guerrero went 2 for 3 with two walks and two singles as Toronto won a home series against the Yankees for the first time since Sept. 13-15, 2019.

Blue Jays left fielder Davis Schneider made a diving catch on Anthony Rizzo’s fly ball for the final out of the New York sixth inning, stranding a runner at first. Rizzo was denied again when Daulton Varsho made a diving catch on his sinking liner to left opening the ninth.

“That’s an area they’re really good in,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Toronto’s outfield defense.

Kikuchi (1-1) allowed one run and three hits in six innings with one walk and nine strikeouts, which matched his season high.

“His curveball was such a big pitch for him tonight,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “It was electric at times.”

Entering Tuesday, the Blue Jays hadn’t scored a run while Kikuchi was on the mound during his three prior starts this season. The left-hander is 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA in his past six starts against the Yankees.

“When he’s working the edges like he was tonight with all his pitches, it makes for a tough evening,” New York’s Aaron Judge said.

Toronto starting pitchers are 5-1 with a 2.15 ERA in their past eight games.

Trevor Richards gave up two runs in the seventh and Yimi Garcia worked a 1-2-3 eighth. Jordan Romano gave up a run in the ninth but finished for the save in his season debut, getting Oswaldo Cabrera to ground out with the tying run at third. Romano had been sidelined since spring training because of a sore elbow.

New York left-hander Carlos Rodón (1-1) allowed three runs, five hits and four walks in four innings, throwing 62 of 101 pitches for strikes.

“I wish I was better tonight,” Rodón said. “I had good stuff. I had the stuff to get guys out but they had a good approach.”

The Yankees, who went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position, opened the scoring on Jose Trevino’s two-out RBI single in the second. Turner’s sacrifice fly tied it in the third, and Guerrero made it 3-1 with a two-out hit in the fourth.

Toronto’s Ernie Clement scored from third when Gleyber Torres couldn’t handle a throw to second base on Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s stolen base in the sixth.

“That’s the one that hurt, obviously,” Boone said. “You’ve got to secure it in that situation, obviously, and we weren’t able to.”

Bichette drove in Kiner-Falefa with a two-out hit.

Yankees leadoff hitter Anthony Volpe went 0 for 4 and matched a career-high with four strikeouts. Volpe came in with a pair of two-strikeout games this season but hadn’t fanned three or more times in a game. He also struck out four times last July 17 in a 10-inning loss to the Angels.

Judge went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts and is hitless in the series.

“When I’m getting my pitch, I’m just missing it,” Judge said.

SCORING CHANGE

Rodón had a 1.72 ERA on Monday but it jumped to 2.87 before he took the mound Tuesday, the result of a scoring change from his April 9 start against Miami. What had been a seventh-inning error on Anthony Rizzo became a single for Jazz Chisholm Jr., and later runs scored by Chisholm and Josh Bell went from unearned to earned. Rodón’s ERA is now 3.66.

ROSTER MOVES

Yankees: LHP Josh Maciejewski was assigned outright to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Blue Jays: RHP Erik Swanson (forearm) also was activated off the 15-day injured list. RHP Nate Pearson was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo and RHP Mitch White was designated for assignment.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: INF DJ LeMahieu (fractured right foot) is expected to begin a rehab assignment later this week. Boone said LeMahieu would likely start at Double-A Somerset. … Boone said RHP Gerrit Cole (elbow inflammation) threw from 75 feet.

UP NEXT

RHP Marcus Stroman (1-1, 2.12 ERA) faces his former team in Wednesday afternoon’s series finale. RHP Kevin Gausman (0-2, 11.57) is scheduled for the Blue Jays.

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