TORONTO (AP) 鈥� George Springer had three hits, including a pair of three-run homers, and Jos茅 Berr铆os pitched seven strong innings as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the slumping New York Yankees 9-2 on Thursday night.
The loss was New York鈥檚 season-worst fourth straight and ninth in 11 games, dropping the Yankees out of first place in the AL East. They are percentage points behind Baltimore.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. added a solo home run, his 11th, as Toronto won its second straight after losing the previous seven.
Berr铆os (7-6) went 0-3 in three starts against New York last season. This time, he allowed two runs on two hits, walked three and struck out a season-best eight.
The Yankees opened June with five straight wins, capping an eight-game streak. They are 7-12 since. New York has been outscored 30-11 in the past three games and 61-26 in its last seven.
鈥淟ook, clearly we鈥檝e got to execute better,鈥� manager Aaron Boone said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to make better decisions about pitch selection in certain situations, and we鈥檝e got to get it right. I鈥檓 confident that we will.鈥�
New York sluggers Juan Soto and Aaron Judge finished a combined 0 for 7 with four strikeouts in the opener of a four-game series. Earlier in the day, Judge was .
Trent Grisham hit a two-run homer for the Yankees, who had been one of four teams that hadn't lost four straight this season. Cleveland, Milwaukee and Philadelphia have yet to lose four in a row.
Springer came in batting .196 with six home runs, two of which he hit on the first two days of the season. The veteran outfielder also homered in Tuesday鈥檚 win at Boston.
鈥淭here鈥檚 been a lot of stuff I鈥檝e been trying to do to get myself in a position to help us win,鈥� Springer said. 鈥淚鈥檓 never going to quit.鈥�
Springer drilled a 391-foot drive into the second deck in Toronto鈥檚 five-run first inning, then added a 434-foot shot to center in the second.
Springer reached 250 career home runs with his second of the night. It was his first multi-homer game of the season and the 22nd of his career.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we鈥檝e known from George,鈥� Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.
Both of Springer鈥檚 homers came against Carlos Rod贸n. The struggling left-hander has allowed eight runs in back-to-back outings and 21 runs over his past three starts, all losses.
Rod贸n (9-5) gave up 10 hits and matched a career worst by allowing eight earned runs in five innings. He walked one and struck out eight.
鈥淭hey put some really good swings on some fastballs tonight that I didn鈥檛 execute,鈥� Rod贸n said. 鈥淚t was not fun.鈥�
Boone agreed that Rod贸n has been hurt by the fastball during his losing streak.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no question people are selling out to that a little bit and having some success,鈥� Boone said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e slugged it and that鈥檚 hurt him in these few outings.鈥�
Phil Bickford left the bullpen and started jogging in when Boone came to the mound in the fifth, but Bickford turned around after Rod贸n talked Boone into letting him finish the inning.
鈥淚 just wanted to get through five for the bullpen and prove something to myself,鈥� Rod贸n said. 鈥淓ven though I got knocked down, I can get back up.鈥�
Toronto鈥檚 first five batters all reached safely and scored.
New York second baseman Gleyber Torres sat for the second straight day after to the Mets.
鈥淲hen you don鈥檛 do the right thing for the team, it鈥檚 not that easy,鈥� Torres said. 鈥淚鈥檓 trying to compete really hard, trying to get things right.鈥�
Boone said Torres could return Friday.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa was hit by pitches in the first, second and eighth innings.
TRAINER鈥橲 ROOM
Yankees: INF DJ LeMahieu (rest) was held out of the starting lineup. 鈥� RHP Scott Effross (back surgery) struck out two in a scoreless inning at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
UP NEXT
LHP Yusei Kikuchi (4-7, 4.00 ERA) is scheduled to start for Toronto on Friday against former Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman (7-3, 3.15).
___
A previous version of this story was revised to correct the day of the week.
___
AP MLB:
Ian Harrison, The Associated Press
