Blue Jays continue closing gap on playoff spot with another win over Yankees | CBC Sports

Teoscar Hernandez hit a go-ahead single in the seventh inning and Guerrero connected off Aroldis Chapman to begin the ninth as the Blue Jays won their seventh in a row. Toronto moved within 1 1/2 games of the Yankees.

Guerrero padded Toronto’s lead when he hammered a fastball several rows back in the left field seats. He is three shy of Hall of Fame father Vladimir Sr.’s career high set in 2000 for the Montreal Expos.

Guerrero reached three times a night after his career-high 14-game hitting streak ended. Toronto won for the 10th time in 11 games.

Marcus Semien hit a two-run single during a three-run fourth. He scored the go-ahead run on Hernandez’s hit off Clay Holmes (6-3), which came shortly before Boston secured a 2-1 win over AL East-leading Tampa Bay.

Jake Lamb added a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

Brett Gardner hit a tying, three-run homer in the fifth. It was New York’s first extra-base hit since Gary Sanchez’s two-run homer in the sixth inning of Sunday’s 8-7 loss to Baltimore.

WATCH | Larry Walker becomes 2nd Canadian inducted to Hall of Fame:

Larry Walker becomes 2nd Canadian inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Larry Walker of Maple Ridge, B.C. became only the second Canadian, behind Ferguson Jenkins, to be enshrined at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. 1:58

Toronto rookie Alek Manoah allowed three runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Trevor Richards (6-2), who pitched for Tampa Bay and Milwaukee before joining Toronto, tossed 1 2/3 innings for the win.

Adam Cimber fanned Anthony Rizzo with two on to end the seventh to preserve a 4-3 lead and tossed a scoreless eighth. Jordan Romano worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 16th save in 17 chances.

Rookie Luis Gil returned to New York’s rotation and allowed the first three runs of his career and one hit in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked seven.

The 23-year-old righty made his major league debut last month and had not permitted a run in 15 2/3 innings over three starts until facing the surging Blue Jays.