Blue Jays salvage last game of series vs. Yankees

TORONTO -- Toronto Blue Jays' third baseman Brett Lawrie believes in having a short memory when it comes to what happens in a game.

He made a mistake in the 11th inning of Saturday's 5-3 loss to the New York Yankees, failing to retreat to third soon enough on a sacrifice bunt and it led to two runs.

"You analyze what happened," he said. "But at the same time you have to able to throw that behind you and just say it's over now, I can't do anything about it, and come back today and do what we did."

What Lawrie did was hit a two-run double in the Blue Jays' four-run sixth inning Sunday afternoon that put them ahead to stay in an 8-4 victory over the Yankees at the Rogers Centre.

J.P. Arencibia contributed a double in the sixth and hit a two-run homer in the seventh for the Blue Jays (8-11), who averted a three-game sweep by the Yankees (10-7) to end their homestand with a 3-4 record.

Chris Stewart homered for the Yankees.

"Our goal is to take every series and if you can do that, you're going to be in good shape come September," Yankees' manager Joe Girardi said. "It's not the way you want to leave but we won two out of three here. This place can be tough to play and our guys did a pretty good job.

"They have some offensive weapons, there's no doubt. They're going to score some runs."

Left-handed reliever Brett Cecil (1-0) pitched 1 1/3 innings to pick up the win. Left-hander Boone Logan (0-1) faced one batter and allowed a run-scoring single to Colby Rasmus to take the loss.

"That's a great win for our team," Lawrie said. "We're going on the road and hope we can carry that on. The past couple of days have been tough games."

Lawrie, who is completing his first week with the Blue Jays after opening the season on the disabled list with a strained left oblique, was 2-for-4 at the plate and he also played well defensively, starting a spectacular double play in the eighth.

"He definitely gives us energy and he's a good player," Blue Jays' manager John Gibbons said. "It probably wasn't fair to him that he came back so quick. He probably needed some more at-bats to get his timing and see more than anything else breaking balls. "But we needed him. In a lot of ways it's kind of like spring training for him now. His defense can win games for you and he flashed that again today. Once he gets it rolling offensively we think he's going to be one of the better players in the game. He's got that kind of ability."

Toronto right-hander Josh Johnson was left looking for his first win of the season after allowing four runs -- two on bases-loaded walks in the fifth -- in 5 1/3 innings. Johnson allowed eight hits and three walks while striking out four.

Yankees right-hander Ivan Nova could not hold a 4-2 lead and was replaced after he gave up a walk and a single in the sixth. He was charged with four runs after allowing seven hits and four walks.

"I still lack command, I'm not throwing strikes and that kind of makes me mad," Nova said. "I know I can do better than this and I'm not happy. You've just got to forget. Like I always say, forget and keep

working. One day I'm going to get my command right where I want it."

The Blue Jays took a 2-0 lead with a run in the first and another in the second.

Munenori Kawasaki led off the first with an infield single and took third on Melky Cabrera's single. He scored when Edwin Encarnacion forced Cabrera at second. Encarnacion proceeded to second on shortstop Eduardo Nunez's throwing error as he tried to complete the double play.

Rasmus led off the second with a double, took third on Lawrie's infield single and scored on Kawasaki's sacrifice fly.

Stewart hit his first homer of the season to lead off the third.

Johnson walked Lyle Overbay and Nunez with the bases loaded to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead.

"For the first four innings everything felt good," Johnson said. "I haven't had a chance to see that pitch to Stewart yet but that' s one of those things where you want to make sure you throw strikes and he hit it out.

"Other than that I just lost it. It seems like it happens a couple of times a year where all of a sudden you can't find the zone for whatever reasons."

Johnson allowed a single to Jayson Nix to start the sixth. Nix was on third after a wild pitch and a sacrifice and Cecil took over, allowing Brett Gardner's sacrifice fly.

Adam Lind walked to open the Blue Jays' sixth and took third on Arencibia's double. Logan gave up a run-scoring single to Rasmus. Right-hander David Phelps allowed Lawrie's two-run double with one out and Cabrera's run-scoring single with two out that sent Toronto to a 6-4 lead.

Arencibia's seventh homer of the season followed Lind's fourth walk of the game in the seventh.

NOTES: Gardner had an infield single in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to eight games. ... R.A. Dickey, who left after six innings with upper-back tightness in his win over the White Sox last Thursday, is feeling better and is scheduled to make his next start Tuesday at Baltimore. ... Toronto left-hander J.A. Happ (2-1, 5.06 ERA) is scheduled to start the series opener in Baltimore on Monday against right-hander Chris Tillman (0-1, 7.07 ERA). ... The Yankees open a three-game series at Tropicana Field against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday with left-hander C.C. Sabathia (3-1, 2.57 ERA) facing left-hander Matt Moore (3-0, 1.00 ERA).