Yankees blow two-run lead on ground ball barrage in frustrating loss to Blue Jays

TORONTO — It was not death by a thousand paper cuts for the Yankees, but almost. 

More like death by four ground balls to the hole between shortstop and third base, which turned a two-run lead into a two-run deficit in the sixth inning. 

The frustrating sequence, which also included a pair of errors, was enough to sink the Yankees in a 5-4 loss to the Blue Jays on Monday night at a sold-out Rogers Centre. 

Cody Bellinger homered in the eighth inning to pull the Yankees (48-36) within a run, and then they put runners on first and second with one out. But they could not cash in, falling to the Blue Jays (46-38) in the opener of a four-game set. 

The Yankees entered the bottom of the sixth inning with a 3-1 lead when Davis Schneider ended Carlos Rodón’s night with a leadoff double. 

Mark Leiter Jr. relieved Rodón to face Myles Straw, who hit a ground ball to the hole at shortstop, where Anthony Volpe made a terrific diving stop. But he then made an ill-advised throw to third trying to nab Schneider, with the misfire getting past Jazz Chisholm Jr. and allowing Straw to take second. 

Pinch-hitter Nathan Lukes came up next and slapped a single through the hole to make it a 3-2 game. 

After Leiter got a strikeout, Ernie Clement hit yet another grounder to deep shortstop where Volpe backhanded it and made a jump throw to first that was well late as the Blue Jays tied it up. 

Jonathan Loáisiga entered the game to face George Springer, who loaded the bases when he reached on catcher’s interference, with J.C. Escarra’s glove making contact with Springer’s swing. 

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. then delivered the big hit, lacing a two-run rocket through the left side that gave the Blue Jays a 5-3 lead. 

Max Scherzer, making only his third start of the year and second since returning from the injured list for a thumb issue, retired the first nine Yankees he faced before Trent Grisham (who later exited with left hamstring tightness) led off the fourth inning with an opposite-field single. 

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Two outs later, after Aaron Judge struck out looking at the 10th pitch of an at-bat on a borderline call, Chisholm crushed a two-run shot for the 2-0 lead. It marked his fourth home run in his last five games as he remained on fire. 

After the Blue Jays got one run back off Rodón in the bottom of the fifth, Giancarlo Stanton hit an RBI single to put the Yankees up 3-1 in the top of the sixth. 

Their best scoring chance after that came in the eighth following Bellinger’s leadoff home run. The Blue Jays intentionally walked Aaron Judge for the second time and Chisholm moved him up to second on a sacrifice bunt before ex-Yankee Chad Green walked Stanton on four pitches. 

But Ben Rice’s bullet to left-center field hung up just long enough, as did Volpe’s sinking liner, with Straw tracking both down to end the threat.