Yankees beat Blue Jays to move within three games of AL East lead

From one point of view, Fernando Cruz’s words were an acknowledgment of the obvious. From another, they could be viewed as a warning for potential opponents come October.

“We’re in the [position] of identifying the best position possible [for] everyone to succeed,” Cruz told a handful of reporters in a mostly empty clubhouse after the Yankees beat the AL East-leading Blue Jays, 3-1, on Saturday at Yankee Stadium to move within three games of first place. “As soon as we put the switch where it needs to go, it’s going to be scary.''

Cruz was one of three relievers used by Aaron Boone — along with Luke Weaver and David Bednar — to record the final nine outs. Bednar retired all four batters he faced, striking out three, to earn his 21st save of the season and fourth since being acquired by the Yankees.

“I don’t think there is a bullpen better than us,” Cruz said. “We just need to come together and identify where we need to pitch or where we are going to pitch and it’s over. It’s going to be a short game.”

Luis Gil (3-1, 3.31 ERA) limited Toronto to three hits and one run in a season-high six innings. He was given a cushion to work with as the Yankees scored two unearned runs off Chris Bassitt (11-8, 3.97) in the second.

After leading off with the first of his three walks, Cody Bellinger advanced to third when Jazz Chisholm Jr. slapped a hard grounder off Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s glove that also ricocheted off the glove of second baseman Andres Gimenez, who was moving to his left and had to reach back to his right. Guerrero was charged with an error. Jasson Dominguez’s RBI single to right-center made it 1-0, and after Anthony Volpe struck out, Chisholm scored on a sacrifice fly by Austin Wells, who was robbed of a hit by Addison Barger.

Toronto cut the deficit to 2-1 in the fourth after Gil walked Bichette and Varsho to start the inning. Bichette advanced to third when Nathan Lukes grounded into a forceout. Isiah Kiner-Falefa then hit what should have been an inning-ending double-play ball up the middle, but after taking Volpe's flip, Chisholm double-clutched before throwing to first and Kiner-Falefa beat it out.

Bellinger appeared to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth, but the call on the field was overturned and the run was taken off the board. With runners on first and third and two outs, Bellinger drilled a grounder up the middle at Bichette, whose throw pulled Guerrero off first. It looked as if his sweep tag did not make contact with Bellinger as Ryan McMahon crossed home plate, but the Blue Jays challenged the call, and a review indicated that Guerrero indeed had made contact with the back spike on Bellinger's right shoe just before his left foot hit the bag.

Bichette doubled with one out in the sixth, and with two outs, Nathan Lukes singled hard to rightfield. Bellinger fielded the hit and uncorked a perfect one-hop throw home to Wells, who had plenty of time to catch it, drop his left knee on the plate and tag out Bichette — who was unable to touch the plate — for the third out.

“I just wanted to ideally make a nice one-hop to him,” Bellinger said. “I thought he did a good job of getting the ball and putting the tag on.”

After the half-inning ended, the game was halted for an hour and 46 minutes because of a heavy rainstorm that forced the 45,123 in attendance to find cover.

When the game resumed, Chisholm singled to lead off the bottom of the sixth but was thrown out attempting to steal. Dominguez walked, Volpe doubled him to third and Wells delivered his MLB-leading 11th sacrifice fly for a 3-1 lead.

The win was the culmination of a day that began with Boone facing repeated questions about Aaron Judge's physical health, especially after he could not or chose not to attempt to throw out the Blue Jays’ Daulton Varsho at home in the first inning of the Yankees' series-opening 7-1 loss on Friday.

Seven of the nine questions during the session were about Judge’s right elbow and his ability to play his position, given that Boone had penciled him into the lineup as the DH and had Bellinger start in rightfield and Dominguez in left.

“We’re playing the long game,” Boone said, “We’ll just see as he goes and be smart along the way and hopefully the steady improvement happens as he gets out there more regularly.”

Notes & quotes: The Yankees (79-63) moved 1 1/2 games ahead of the Red Sox (78-65), who lost to the Diamondbacks in Arizona for the second straight  night . . . The Yankees have won 17 of their last 24 and will attempt to go 17 games above .500, matching their season high, when Max Fried (15-5) opposes Max Scherzer (5-2)  on Sunday in the final regular-season game between the two teams . . . The Yankees are 4-8 against Toronto and 2-8 against Boston.