The Yankees stumbled again in what appears to be an increasingly futile September, losing to the Toronto Blue Jays 6-2 Thursday night for their fifth defeat in six games.
Hiroki Kuroda lost his fifth-straight decision, allowing two runs in the third inning and a solo home run to Anthony Gose in the sixth. Adam Lind added a three-run homer in the seventh off Joba Chamberlain.
New York, which began the night 2 1/2 games back for the second AL wild-card berth, lost two of three in Toronto while scoring just six runs and hitting .198 (19 for 96).
In danger of missing the playoffs for only the second time in 19 seasons, the Yankees return home for a six-game homestand against San Francisco and Tampa Bay — what could be Mariano Rivera's final games in the Bronx — then close with a three-game interleague series at Houston.
New York won 12 of its first 13 games against Toronto this year but lost four of its final six. Kuroda also has stumbled of late: He is 0-5 with a 6.37 ERA in his last seven outings after going 11-7 with a 2.33 ERA through Aug. 12.
Kuroda allowed three runs and eight hits in six inning with four walks and seven strikeouts.
Rookie Todd Redmond (4-2) gave up one run and four hits in a career-high seven innings with seven strikeouts and a walk. Sergio Santos pitched the eighth but the Blue Jays needed three relievers to get through the ninth, when Casey Janssen relieved with the bases loaded and one out, then finished for his 32nd save in 34 chances.
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Jose Reyes put Toronto ahead with an RBI double in the third and scored on Brett Lawrie's grounder.
Curtis Granderson cut the deficit in the sixth with the Yankees' first home run since Brendan Ryan connected off Boston's John Lackey last Friday, but Toronto made it 3-1 in the bottom half on a home run by Gose, who had three hits.Chamberlain, a free agent to be, allowed his eighth home run — his career high as a reliever. He relieved to start the seventh, walked Munenori Kawasaki, gave up a single to Lawrie singled and then allowed Lind's drive into the second deck.
New York had the bases loaded with one out in the ninth when Janssen relieved. Vernon Wells hit an RBI grounder and Lyle Overbay grounded out.
