Blue Jays' 6th inning 10-run rally leads them past Yankees in series opener

Chad Green and Adam Ottavino were routed during a 10-run sixth inning that included Danny Jansen's grand slam, and the Toronto Blue Jays rallied to beat the Yankees 12-7 Monday night and send skidding New York to its sixth loss in seven games.

New York has lost four straight and 14 of 19, dropping into third place in the AL East, two games behind second-place Toronto and 6 1/2 back of Tampa Bay. At 21-20 overall following a 16-6 start, the Yankees have dropped into the AL's eighth and final playoff position.

With general manager Brian Cashman making a rare road trip, New York led 6-2 when Green replaced Jonathan Holder going to the bottom of the sixth. Green, Ottavino and Luis Cessa needed 67 pitches and 43 minutes to get three outs.

"It's the worst feeling in the world," Ottavino said. "You let your team down. It's always tough when you feel like you're the reason why you lost the game."

Toronto loaded the bases with a pair of walks and Randal Grichuk's one-out single, and first baseman Luke Voit charged Rowdy Tellez's two-hopper but allowed the ball to bounce off the palm of his glove and into foul territory for an error as a run scored.

Ottavino (2-3) relieved, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-run, opposite-field single that bounced past Voit and down the right-field line. Guerrero stole second and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who had three hits, lined a fastball into left for a tying single.

Gurriel stole second, Jonathan Villar walked and Travis Shaw lined a fastball up the middle for a two-run single and an 8-6 lead after Ottavino shook off catcher Kyle Higashioka three times.

"He was just having a tough time seeing signs," Higashioka said "It was pretty dark there."

Joe Panik walked, and Jansen chased Ottavino when he drove a fastball to left-centre for his first career slam for a 12-6 lead.

"The quality of at-bats, with the walks, is where it started," Jansen said. "Ottavino has run, so I tried to get the ball in the air. I tried to simplify things as best as I can, and I happened to drive a ball. It just happened to work out."

Green's ERA jumped to 4.26, and Ottavino allowed six runs without getting any outs as his ERA rose to 7.82.

"It's just bizarre," Ottavino said. "Myself and Greeny didn't get any swing and misses that whole inning. Not getting swing-and-misses is an indication of either my stuff wasn't good, my location wasn't good, or they had something on me, they had a great approach, or knew what was coming."

New York had not allowed 10 runs in an inning since CC Sabathia and Esmil Rogers were hit hard in the third inning of a 15-4 loss to Texas on May 23, 2015.

Sean Reid-Foley (1-0) won despite a bases-loaded walk to Aaron Hicks in the sixth that extended the Yankees' lead to four runs.

Voit and Hicks hit solo homers in the first off Hyun Jin Ryu, who allowed five runs and six hits in five innings.

Scheduled to meet 9 more times in 19 games 

Toronto tied the score against Jordan Montgomery on Tellez's RBI double in the first and Santiago Espinal's RBI single in the second.

Miguel Andujar put New York back ahead with his first home run since Sept. 27, 2018, and Clint Frazier hit a two-run double in the fifth. Andujar added an RBI grounder in the ninth.

The game was the first this season between the teams, who are scheduled to face each other nine more times over the final 19 games.

"It's almost a playoff game every game," Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo said. "The way we did it, down in the game, and facing their best relievers and coming back, that was a great win."

The 10-run inning was Toronto's biggest since an 11-run sixth against Minnesota in an 11-1 win on July 25, 2007.

Jays' leading power hitter sidelined

Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez, batting .130 and in a 3-for-28 slump (.107), sat for a second straight game.

Yankees: OF Aaron Judge (strained calf) ran on the field at Yankee Stadium while starting to resume baseball activity. OF Giancarlo Stanton (strained hamstring), also in the Bronx, was out running the bases and hitting against a machine.

Toronto played without OF Teoscar Hernandez, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with an oblique injury. The team was waiting for swelling to subside before Hernandez undergoes a second MRI, but decided to sideline their leading power hitter, who is tied for second in the AL with 14 home runs.

 RHP Wilmer Font was placed on the 10-day IL with a bruised right shin. SS Bo Bichette (sprained knee) was scheduled to DH at Toronto's alternate training site in Rochester, where he is play in the field on Tuesday.

Yankees LHP J.A. Happ (1-1, 4.68 ERA) starts Tuesday against RHP Taijuan Walker (3-2, 3.26 ERA), making his third start since he was acquired from Seattle.