Yankees, Judge (two HRs) dismiss Blue Jays
NEW YORK -- Aaron Judge hit two more home runs and the New York Yankees slugged five in an 11-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.
Judge capitalized on a 23-mph wind blowing out to right field with a two-run homer off Mat Latos (0-1) with nobody out in the second. He added a long three-run homer into the left field seats with nobody out in the seventh off Jason Grilli.
Judge finished with four RBIs and recorded his second career multi-home run game. The right fielder has hit five of his 12 home runs and recorded 10 RBIs in his last five games.
Brett Gardner also homered twice for the Yankees, who won for the 15th time in 20 games. It marked the first time the Yankees had two players hit two home runs in a game at home since Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson on Oct. 3, 2012.
Aaron Hicks added a two-run homer while Matt Holliday and Chase Headley contributed RBI singles as the Yankees reached double digits in runs for the fourth time this season and third in the last five games.
Steve Pearce homered twice, Chris Coghlan added an RBI single, Devon Travis scored on a balk by Dellin Betances and Ryan Goins had an RBI groundout as the Blue Jays were unable to get their fourth straight win. Toronto fell to 9-18 for the first time since 2004.
Masahiro Tanaka (4-1) allowed four runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Latos was rocked for seven runs and 10 hits in four innings.
Before Judge's second homer gave the Yankees a seven-run lead, the Blue Jays mounted their only significant threat in the seventh.
They had the bases loaded after Jose Bautista drew a walk against Tyler Clippard. Betances was charged with a balk before throwing a pitch and re-loaded the bases by walking Russell Martin but escaped by striking out Kendrys Morales.
The Yankees took a 1-0 lead before Latos retired a batter in the first. They opened the game with three straight hits and went ahead on Holliday's single.
The lead expanded to 3-0 before an out was recorded in the second. After Judge drew a walk, Hicks hit a 1-2 high fastball into the right field seats for his fifth home run.
Two batters later, Gardner drove a 0-1 pitch into the right field seats for his third home run.
Latos recorded an out in the third but the Yankees took a 6-0 lead when Judge lifted the first pitch down the right field line. The Yankees went up 7-0 when Gardner homered over the right-center field fence with one out in the fourth.
Toronto ended the shutout when Pearce homered to left field with one out in the fifth. Three batters later, Coghlan singled up the middle.
NOTES: 1B Greg Bird (bone bruise right ankle) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday and the Yankees said he will be shut down for 7-to-10 days without any baseball activities. ... The Yankees recalled IF/OF Rob Refsnyder and LHP Chasen Shreve from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre while optioning RHP Luis Cessa there. ... Toronto manager John Gibbons said the team might use a spot fifth starter in the second or third game of next week's home series against the Cleveland Indians. Gibbons also said he's "guessing and hoping" SS Troy Tulowitzki (strained hamstring) and 3B Josh Donaldson (strained right calf) would be ready to return by the next homestand. Along with LHP J.A. Happ (left elbow inflammation), they are rehabbing at the team's minor league complex in Dunedin, Fla. ... New York C Gary Sanchez (biceps) went 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI double in his first rehab game with Scranton/Wilkes Barre.