Yankees come back, but winning streak ends at seven in loss to Blue Jays

TORONTO — Gerrit Cole didn’t take the loss, but the Yankees' ace wasn’t anything close to his best Wednesday night, and his team suffered as a result.

Just how much has yet to be determined.

Cole consistently found bat barrels in his six innings in the Yankees' 6-5 loss to the Blue Jays in front of 29,601 at a raucous Rogers Centre. He fell behind 2-0 six pitches into the game on Marcus Semien's home run and 4-0 in the third on the first of Bo Bichette's two homers. Cole also allowed five doubles, and the seven extra-base hits off him tied his career high.

"I wish I could just keep pitching right now and start throwing out some zeros and, you know, make up for it," said Cole, who hopes to take the mound in Tuesday's wild-card game on six days’ rest but indicated he would be more than willing to pitch on three days’ rest Sunday against the Rays if the Yankees need that game to reach the postseason. "So [I want to be back out there] as soon as possible, but we’re going to have to be better than we were tonight."

Bichette's second home run of the game and 28th of the season, a drive to right-center on Clay Holmes' second pitch in the eighth, broke a 5-5 tie after the Yankees came back from 4-0 and 5-2 deficits. Kyle Higashioka's two-out, two-run single on an 0-and-2 pitch had tied the score in the seventh.

The Yankees (90-68) saw their winning streak end at seven games and their lead drop to one game over the Red Sox (89-69) for the top wild-card spot. They lead the Mariners (89-70) by 1 1/2 games and the Blue Jays (88-70) by two games.

"I’m sure it’s fun for the fans," Higashioka said. "We’re in control of our destiny right now. It’s up to us to keep winning."

Blue Jays righty Jordan Romano began the ninth by striking out Gary Sanchez — pinch hitting for Joey Gallo, who had been hit by a pitch in the left forearm in the seventh — and allowed a single by Gleyber Torres (three hits), who took second on Gio Urshela’s long flyout to center. Tyler Wade flied to shallow center to end it.

"He couldn’t hit, so I took him out of the game," Aaron Boone said of his concern level regarding Gallo. "Concerned. We’ll see what we have with the X-rays."

Cole -- a Cy Young Award favorite along with Toronto’s Robbie Ray, who will start Thursday night’s series finale against Corey Kluber -- was not sharp, allowing five runs and nine hits. In his last three starts, Cole has a 7.64 ERA and has allowed 24 hits, including five home runs, in 17 2/3 innings.

Cole struck out six, giving him 243 strikeouts, five short of Ron Guidry’s single-season franchise record of 248 set in 1978.

Blue Jays righthander Jose Berrios, who retired the first 14 he faced, allowed three runs and four hits in six innings in which he struck out seven.

After Berrios struck out the side in a 15-pitch first, the Blue Jays quickly jumped on Cole. George Springer pounced on Cole’s first pitch of the game, a 97-mph fastball, and drove it over Gallo’s head in left for a double. Semien then crushed a 2-and-2, 97-mph fastball to left for his 44th homer. That set an MLB record for most homers by a second baseman.

"I think our game plan to establish the fastball and their game plan to jump it kind of matched up together," Cole said. "It’s not to say that if I don’t execute my pitches better, maybe there’s a better result."

After Berrios struck out Giancarlo Stanton and Gallo in the fifth, Torres doubled to left for the first hit off Berrios. Urshela singled up the middle for a run and scored on Brett Gardner's double to right to make it 4-2.

The Yankees handed the Blue Jays a gift run in the bottom of the inning. Springer led off with a harmless-looking fly ball to left, but instead of taking charge, Gallo watched the ball drop in front of him as Urshela, who had a more difficult route to the ball, peeled off at the last moment. Springer advanced to third on Semien's long fly to right and scored on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s double. It was Guerrero's 106th RBI, five more than Bichette and Semien.

DJ LeMahieu doubled and scored on Aaron Judge's sacrifice fly in the sixth to make it 5-3.

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.