Blue Jays' troubles continue in loss to Yankees

One big development for the banged-up Yankees as they've limped toward the All-Star break the past few weeks: Masahiro Tanaka is back in top form.

Tanaka pitched seven sharp innings for his second straight win following a long slump, and the Yankees beat the skidding Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 on Monday night.

"I feel better out there and it's definitely going in the right direction," Tanaka said through a translator.

Hours after announcing they'll both compete in the Home Run Derby next week, All-Star sluggers Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez sparked New York's offence. Consecutive singles by those Baby Bombers in the first helped the Yankees scratch out two runs against Marcus Stroman. Judge's leadoff single and Sanchez's double set up a four-run eighth that included Chase Headley's two-run double off Ryan Tepera.

Headley was hit by a pitch to force home a run in the first and finished with three RBIs. Jacoby Ellsbury drew a bases-loaded walk from Stroman (8-5), who grew up on Long Island about 55 miles from Yankee Stadium.

Last-place Toronto has dropped five straight and nine of 11.

"Just gone cold, you know?" manager John Gibbons said. "I still feel like we're about to explode."

Tanaka (7-7) turned in his third consecutive strong outing, a major positive for the second-place Yankees as they chase AL East-leading Boston. New York won for only the sixth time in 20 games.

'We have an opportunity in front of us'

"We have an opportunity in front of us," manager Joe Girardi said. "I think that's what you ask for as you move forward."

Tanaka yielded one run and five hits with eight strikeouts and one walk. The right-hander was coming off a win last Wednesday at the Chicago White Sox — his first since May 8. Before that, he was 0-6 in a stretch of eight starts.

"He gets you off the fastball just in time to throw the fastball," Toronto outfielder Steve Pearce said. "It's only a matter of time for somebody like that.

"Sometimes you'll feel the wrath of somebody when they're coming out of it," he added. "He's coming out of it — you could tell."

New York scored its last two runs in the eighth on an error by catcher Luke Maile. They came in handy when Aroldis Chapman gave up two in the ninth before closing it out.

With a runner on, Headley went to his knees to snag a game-ending line drive.

Struggling reliever Dellin Betances, another one of New York's five All-Stars, struck out two in a scoreless eighth to protect a 2-1 lead. He was aided by Sanchez, who threw out Josh Donaldson trying to steal for an inning-ending double play.

Darwin Barney hit an RBI single in the seventh off Tanaka, who snared Maile's hard comebacker with a runner on second to end the inning and keep the Yankees ahead.

Pinch-hitter Kevin Pillar had an RBI double in the ninth, and Barney followed with a run-scoring single.

Stroman exits with blister

Stroman developed a blister and was checked by a trainer in the fifth. He finished the inning but was pulled after that by Gibbons, who said the right-hander's finger was getting raw.

"Extremely frustrating. I feel like it's an epidemic that's happening across the big leagues now, a bunch of pitchers getting blisters, guys who have never had blisters before. So for MLB to turn their back to it, I think that's kind of crazy," said Stroman, who threw 79 pitches. "I have no theory. But obviously, I mean, it's not a coincidence that it's happening to so many guys all of a sudden. It's not a coincidence."

The Blue Jays' pitching staff has been riddled with injuries this season, including blister and fingernail problems that have limited right-hander Aaron Sanchez to just five major league starts.

Sanchez developed the blister during spring training and has pitched only 24 1/3 innings for Toronto this season. The 25-year-old also received treatment in April to remove part of his fingernail in hopes the procedure would stop the blister from re-forming.

Sanchez returned to the big league team on Monday after pitching 4 1/3 innings in a rehab start with triple-A Buffalo on Sunday. He's expected to start for Toronto against the Houston Astros later this week.