With Jeter looking on, Cano leads Yanks over Jays

[April 26, 2013]  NEW YORK (AP) -- With Derek Jeter making his first visit to the Bronx this season, Robinson Cano hit a three-run homer and the New York Yankees used a flurry of early long balls to outslug the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3 Thursday night.

Vernon Wells homered again against Mark Buehrle, and Francisco Cervelli also connected for New York, which overcame a 3-0 deficit to beat the Blue Jays for the third time within a week. The Yankees took two of three in a weekend series in Toronto.

Jeter, out until probably mid-July because of a broken ankle, watched a no-frills New York lineup improve to 12-9. The Yankees captain said he was meeting some of his teammates for the first time.

Hiroki Kuroda (3-1) settled after giving up homers to Edwin Encarnacion and Brett Lawrie in the first two innings, giving up six hits and three runs in six innings. He didn't allow a hit after Munenori Kawasaki doubled with two outs in the second.

Joba Chamberlain and David Robertson each pitched a scoreless inning, and Mariano Rivera was perfect in the ninth for his seventh save in seven chances.

The game drew 31,445, the fourth time this month a record low has been set at new Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009.

Toronto manager John Gibbons was ejected in the seventh inning after umpires overturned a call at first, giving Ben Francisco an infield hit.

First base umpire Chad Fairchild initially said first baseman Edwin Encarnacion made a clean scoop and Francisco was out. But the umpires met and overturned the call, and TV replays showed Encarnacion trapped the ball. Gibbons argued with crew chief Jeff Kellogg, tossed his hat and was ejected for the 22nd time in his career.

It was Gibbons' second ejection in two games for the disappointing Blue Jays, off to a 9-13 start after bulking up their roster during the offseason.

The left-handed Buehrle, pitching against Kuroda for the second time within a week, struggled against a team that came in hitting .199 against lefties, yielding five runs and seven hits in 5 1-3 innings. Buehrle (1-1) has lost seven straight decisions against the Yankees dating to 2004 with the Chicago White Sox and is 1-9 in 14 starts against New York.

Encarnacion hit a two-run drive in the first, and Lawrie led off the second with a a drive in the second row of the short porch in right field, his first home run of the season.

Wells, a former Toronto star who was among the players New York acquired in March, homered leading off the second with a drive just beyond the 408-ft mark in center field. Wells is 24 for 50 (.480) against Buehrle.

Jayson Nix and Brett Gardner reached on singles, and Cano sent a long drive to right-center for his seventh homer of the year.

Cervelli homered to deep left in the fourth.

NOTES: The Yankees' top outfield prospect, Mason Williams, was charged with driving under the influence following a traffic stop in Florida. ... The Blue Jays placed 1B Adam Lind on the paternity list and recalled RHP Brad Lincoln from Triple-A Buffalo. Lincoln pitched a scoreless inning. ... Toronto LHP Ricky Romero is scheduled to start Saturday, his first outing since his demotion during spring training to work on his mechanics. He'll pitch for Class A Dunedin.

[Associated Press; By HOWIE RUMBERG]

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