Nova struggles with sinker, Yankees lose 4-2 to Blue Jays

TORONTO (AP) Yankees right-hander Ivan Nova didn't have his best stuff against the Toronto Blue Jays.

New York's offense didn't have a whole lot, either.

Marco Estrada pitched eight scoreless innings, Ryan Goins homered and the Blue Jays beat the Yankees 4-2 on Monday night for their fifth win in six games.

Nova (3-3) allowed a season-high four runs and eight hits in six-plus innings, losing to Toronto for the second straight start.

''My sinker was kind of off a little bit,'' Nova said. ''I couldn't get it down the way it's supposed to.''

Manager Joe Girardi and catcher Brian McCann credited Nova for doing as well as he did without having command of his best pitch.

''I thought he did pretty well under the circumstances,'' McCann said.

McCann's two-run homer off Aaron Loup in the ninth provided the only offense for the Yankees, who have four runs and six hits over their past two games.

''We've got to start swinging a little bit better,'' Girardi said. ''When you have two-thirds of your lineup not swinging the bat well, it's difficult to score runs. We've got to turn that around.''

The Yankees have lost four of six since evening their record at 22-22 last week.

''We haven't been swinging the bats great,'' McCann said. ''We've got to continue to grind.''

Estrada (3-2) allowed three hits, two of them singles, and struck out six. He beat the Yankees in New York last week.

''Estrada had it working today,'' McCann said. ''He keeps you in between speeds. He's got something figured out. He keeps you guessing.''

Estrada's lengthy start was just the thing for Toronto's bullpen, which was worn down following Sunday's 11-inning loss to Boston. Four Toronto relievers, including closer Roberto Osuna, were unavailable against New York.

''Really, it was the exact outing we had to have,'' manager John Gibbons said.

After McCann's homer in the ninth, Drew Storen came on and got the final two outs for his third save.

Goins went 2 for 2 and scored twice. It was his first multihit game since April 13, also against the Yankees.

Edwin Encarnacion had two RBIs, and the Blue Jays won for the 11th time in 15 meetings with New York.

Encarnacion hit an RBI double off Nova in the first and added an RBI groundout in the third. Michael Saunders followed with an RBI double.

Goins hit a leadoff homer in the fifth, his third.

Starlin Castro walked to begin the eighth and went to third on a two-out double by Aaron Hicks, but Estrada got Jacoby Ellsbury to pop out to end the inning.

TWICE AS NICE

Estrada is the first Blue Jays pitcher to beat the Yankees twice in a five-day span since Dave Stieb did it in 1982.

FIRST TIME

New York LHP Richard Bleier made his major league debut in the eighth, getting Saunders and Justin Smoak to ground out.

BLUE JAYS ADD ARM

Toronto recalled RHP Ryan Tepera from Triple-A Buffalo and designated INF/OF Jimmy Paredes for assignment.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Yankees: INF Dustin Ackley has a torn labrum in his right shoulder and may need surgery, Girardi said. New York placed Ackley on the 15-day disabled list and recalled INF Rob Refsnyder from Triple-A. ... The Yankees reinstated RHP Luis Severino from the 15-day DL and optioned him to Triple-A. ... DH Alex Rodriguez got the day off.

Blue Jays: 2B Devon Travis got the day off. Travis had played five straight since being activated off the DL last week.

UP NEXT

Yankees: LHP CC Sabathia (3-3, 2.83) is 7-2 with a 3.21 ERA in 10 career starts at Toronto.

Blue Jays: LHP J.A. Happ (6-2, 3.20) is 5-2 with a 4.15 ERA in 11 career starts against the Yankees.