TORONTO — Somebody needs to take the shovel out of the Yankees’ hands.
The Yankees found themselves back at the scene of their recent slip from first place three weeks ago, and on Monday night, they managed to make their situation worse with a messy performance in the opening game of a crucial series.
Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe committed consecutive throwing errors that allowed the last two runs during a decisive four-run fifth inning, leading to a 4-1 defeat against the Blue Jays at the sold-out Rogers Centre.
In the process, the Yankees (55-45) dropped to a season-high four games back of the Blue Jays (59-41) for first place in the AL East.
The Blue Jays have won 11 straight games at home, a streak that began with a four-game sweep of the Yankees at the start of this month.
Carlos Rodón did not aid his cause by recording a season-high of five walks over five innings, but his defense faltered late, turning a 2-1 game into a 4-1 loss.
The Yankees, meanwhile, only mustered one run in seven innings against Kevin Gausman, with Giancarlo Stanton’s solo blast in the fourth inning accounting for the only damage.
Rodón, making his first start since throwing an inning in the All-Star Game last Tuesday, walked a tightrope in the early innings, escaping bases-loaded jams in two of the first four frames.
He entered the bottom of the fifth with a 1-0 lead, but by the end of the 40-pitch frame, his night was done and the Blue Jays led 4-1.
George Springer, whose bat punished the Yankees throughout the last series, led off the fifth with a full-count walk before Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drilled a bullet through the left side for a single.
Bo Bichette, who was nursing an injury when the teams met earlier this month, then came through with a two-run double into the left field corner that put the Blue Jays up 2-1.
One out later, Rodón engaged in a 14-pitch battle with Davis Schneider that he ultimately won by inducing a pop-up.
The very next pitch should have ended the inning. But Peraza — manning third base until the Yankees presumably find a replacement by the trade deadline — fielded Myles Straw’s ground ball and yanked the throw to first, allowing Bichette to score from second for the 3-1 lead.
Leo Jiménez then hit a grounder to shortstop, where Volpe fielded it and threw a one-hopper to Paul Goldschmidt, who nearly made a backhanded scoop, only for the ball to pop out of his glove.
Volpe’s league-leading 12th error of the season allowed Straw to race home from second to make it 4-1.
The Yankees had a chance to mount a comeback in the eighth inning, when they put runners on first and second with one out.
But Stanton lined out to center before Jasson Domínguez grounded out, falling deeper into an 0-for-18 skid.
