Yankees 4, Blue Jays 1
TORONTO -- Carlos Beltran and Mark Teixeira hit home runs, Masahiro Tanaka pitched a complete game and the New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 on Saturday.
Beltran won the game for the Yankees on Friday with a three-run, pinch homer in the eighth and as a result the Yankees will try to complete a sweep of the three-game series on Sunday.
The Blue Jays swept the Yankees in New York last weekend.
The Yankees (64-51) have won three games in a row to move 1 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Blue Jays (64-54) in the American League East.
Tanaka (9-5) allowed five hits, three walks and one run while striking out eight.
Blue Jays right-hander Marco Estrada (10-7) gave up only three hits in six innings, but two were solo home runs that accounted for both runs against him. He also allowed two walks and struck out three.
Beltran, the Yankees right fielder, hit his 12th home run of the season and his second of the season on a 3-and-2 fastball with two out in the first inning.
The Blue Jays tied the game in the fifth on a sacrifice to left by third baseman Josh Donaldson.
It came with the bases loaded with none out, after second baseman Ryan Goins walked to lead off the inning, left fielder Ben Revere singled and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki walked.
However, the Blue Jays could do no more damage.
Right fielder Jose Bautista struck out and designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion, who doubled in the fourth to extend his hit streak to 13 games, popped out to second.
The Yankees regained the lead on the 31st homer of the season by Teixeira, the Yankees designated hitter, with two out in the sixth inning. He lofted a 1-and-0 changeup to right.
New York added a run against right-hander LaTroy Hawkins in the eighth on a double by Beltran and a run-scoring single by Teixeira.
Blue Jays left-hander Aaron Loup allowed another run in the ninth on a double by catcher John Ryan Murphy and a single by center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury.
Before the game, the Yankees announced that right-hander Caleb Cotham had been called up from Triple-A and that LHP Chris Capuano had been designated for assignment.
NOTES: The Yankees had 11 hits against Toronto LHP David Price on Friday and have had at least 10 hits in three of their last four meetings against him dating to Aug. 27, 2014. They are batting .396 (36-for-91) against him in that span. ... The Blue Jays have altered their rotation so that LHP Mark Buehrle will pitch Wednesday against the Phillies in Philadelphia, and Price will pitch against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim on Friday. ... RHP Aaron Sanchez gave up a three-run pinch homer to OF Carlos Beltran in the eighth inning Friday in the Yankees' 4-3 win to snap a streak of 25 scoreless innings by the Blue Jays' bullpen dating to Aug. 2. ... RHP Luis Severino (0-1, 2.45 ERA) will start the finale of the three-game series for the Yankees on Sunday against Toronto RHP Drew Hutchison (11-2, 5.26 ERA).