NEW YORK -- With the New York closer to missing out on a wild-card berth than winning the AL East, Masahiro Tanaka pitched like the ace the Yankees needed him to be
Tanaka allowed four hits over seven innings Sunday, and the Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 5-0 Sunday and stop a five-game losing streak.
"Today is a great example of what the formula is," Alex Rodriguez said. "Strong pitching, get the ball to our strong bullpen and hit the ball out of the park."
Dustin Ackley homered and had three RBI and left fielder Brett Gardner made two excellent catches for the Yankees, who closed back within 3 1/2 games of the AL East-leading Blue Jays with 20 games left.
Toronto had won the first three games of the four-game series, but the Yankees sent R.A. Dickey (10-11) to his first loss since before the All-Star break. The Blue Jays and Yankees play three more times in Toronto from Sept. 21-23.
Tanaka (12-6) struck out seven, walked none and threw 76 of 108 pitches for strikes.
"I had a sense of having some of the better stuff early on in the game," Tanaka said through an interpreter.
He is 3-0 with a 2.54 ERA in his last four starts.
"I just try to be resilient, not give in, and attack," Tanaka said. "My mindset was I'm not going to let these guys sweep us."
On Aug. 15, he beat the Blue Jays with a five-hitter in Toronto.
"He was good again today," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "He's been tough on us."
Ackley, starting over rookie Greg Bird because he was 4 for 11 against Dickey coming in, homered for the first time since July 8 for Seattle against Detroit.
"To be able to contribute, that's the most important thing," Ackley said.
New York went ahead in the second on sacrifice flies by Ackley and Didi Gregorius. Ackley, acquired from the Mariners on July 30, hit a two-run homer in the fourth, and Rodriguez added an RBI double in the eighth that chased Dickey.
Rodriguez was honored by the Yankees before the game for his 3,000th hit on June 19, another step of the thawing of the formerly icy relationship between A-Rod and team stemming from his one-year drug suspension and litigation when he tried to avoid discipline.
Rodriguez scored on Didi Gregorius' second-inning sacrifice fly, coming home on a headfirst slide, just under catcher Josh Thole's tag. Rodriguez thrust his hands in the air in celebration.
Rodriguez was honored by the Yankees before the game for his 3,000th hit on June 19, another step of the thawing of the formerly-tense relationship between A-Rod and team stemming from his one-year drug suspension and litigation when he tried to avoid discipline.
"Maybe it was the video he saw with his first base hit and how fast he was," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "It's a great hustle play."
The 40-year-old Rodriguez joked about the decline of his speed.
"That's how the slowest man in baseball looks," he said. "I was excited. It's an important game."
Rodriguez added an RBI double in the eighth that chased Dickey, again showing excitement while standing on second.
The Blue Jays said before the game that All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will miss at least two weeks after cracking his left shoulder blade in a collision during the opener of Saturday's doubleheader. Edwin Encarnacion was held out after aggravating a finger injury Saturday.
Dickey (10-11) gave up five runs and seven hits in 7 2/3 innings. The knuckleballer had been 7-0 with a 2.68 ERA in 11 starts since losing at the Chicago White Sox on July 9.
MAKING MOVES
Toronto acquired infielder Darwin Barney from the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league catcher Jack Murphy.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Blue Jays: General manager Alex Anthopoulos said second baseman Devon Travis (shoulder) has yet to take swings or play any games and they are "running out of time" for the rookie to return.
UP NEXT:
Blue Jays: After an off day, the Blue Jays open a series at Atlanta on Tuesday with Mark Buehrle (14-7) starting, opposed by Julio Teheran (10-7, 4.38).
Yankees: CC Sabathia starts Monday in the opener of a three-game series at Tampa Bay, which starts Erasmo Ramirez (10-5).




Final
Series: Game 4 of 4

Blue Jays 0

(82-61, 35-36 away)

Yankees 5

(78-64, 41-32 home)




62°
Clear

1:05PM,EDT,September 13,2015
Yankee Stadium, New York, New York 

123456789 R H E
TOR 000000000 0 4 0
NYY 02020001 - 5 7 0
W: M. Tanaka (12-6)
L: R. Dickey (10-11)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-PitchInning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9




Toronto Blue Jays
HittersABRHRBIBBSO#PAVGOBPSLG
Revere LF30000012.336.383.383
a-Hague PH
1000004.333.333.333
Donaldson 3B40000114.305.371.586
Bautista RF40100115.254.373.538
Colabello DH30100218.330.377.530
Smoak 1B30000111.221.298.458
Pillar CF30100013.261.295.370
Goins SS30000316.239.308.343
Pennington 2B30000116.103.217.205
Thole C3010019.220.273.268
Totals30040010128   
a-lined out to left for B Revere in the 9th
BATTING
2B: Bautista (27, Tanaka); Pillar (23, Tanaka); Colabello (18, Tanaka)
Blue Jays RISP: 0-3 (Pillar 0-1, Colabello 0-1, Smoak 0-1)
Team LOB: 3
BASERUNNING
Picked Off: Pillar (2nd base by Tanaka)

Game Information

StadiumYankee Stadium, New York, NY
Attendance39,127 (78.8% full) - % is based on regular season capacity
Game Time2:40
Weather77 degrees, partly cloudy
Wind5 mph
UmpiresHome Plate - Chris Guccione, First Base - Cory Blaser, Second Base - Dale Scott, Third Base - Brian Knight