TORONTO

CC Sabathia helps Yankees beat Blue Jays 4-1

The Canadian Press Published Saturday, July 16, 2011 5:05PM EDT

New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, July 16, 2011, in Toronto. (Frank Gunn / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Text:

TORONTO - CC Sabathia allowed one run on three hits over eight innings to become baseball's first 14-game winner Saturday as the New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1.

Sabathia (14-4) gave up a first-inning run to end a string of 23 2-3 scoreless innings before keeping the previously hot Toronto bats under control to end the Jays' five-game winning streak. The left-hander struck out eight and walked three.

Mariano Rivera gave up two hits in the ninth but still collected his 23rd save.

Toronto starter Ricky Romero (7-9) was given a couple of extra days off after the all-star break and it showed. The left-hander allowed six hits, three walks and four runs, three of them earned, in five innings of work.

Sabathia, who was coming off a 1-0 shutout over Tampa Bay last Sunday, won his seventh straight start.

The Blue Jays (47-48) scored in the first on Yunel Escobar's single that brought home Rajai Davis after the Toronto centre-fielder led off with a walk and stole second.

Escobar was batting third for the second game in a row, replacing major-league home run leader Jose Bautista. The Toronto slugger, who suffered an ankle injury sliding into third base on Thursday, said before the game that he could return by Tuesday.

The Yankees (54-37) took a 2-1 lead in the second. Nick Swisher doubled with one out and scored on a single by Andruw Jones. Brett Gardner then doubled to right and Jones scored on a ground out by Eduardo Nunez.

A throwing error by Toronto second baseman Aaron Hill let the Yankees add a run in the third. Curtis Granderson led off with a walk and took third on Robinson Cano's single to right. With two out, the Blue Jays had Cano caught in a rundown between first and second but as Granderson broke for the plate, Hill threw home wildly and the run scored.

New York made it 4-1 in the fifth on Derek Jeter's infield hit. Gardner hit a bloop double to centre as Davis lacked urgency in getting to the ball.

Nunez sacrificed Gardner to third and Jeter grounded his single into the hole between short and third. Escobar fielded the ball and made a wild throw to first for an error. Jeter moved to second but was left stranded.

Adam Lind singled in the fourth inning for the Blue Jays' second hit, but Sabathia did not allow another until John McDonald's one-out double in the eighth. McDonald got as far as third base before Eric Thames lined out to centre to end the inning.