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Blue Jays rally late, get by Yankees in 10

Apr 20, 2011 - 7:02 AM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Travis Snider doubled home Edwin Encarnacion in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Toronto Blue Jays to a 6-5 victory over the New York Yankees in the opener of a two-game series at Rogers Centre.

Encarnacion grounded a single to left field off Ivan Nova (1-2) to begin the 10th. After the next two batters flied out, Encarnacion was able to score all the way from first base when Snider drove a 1-0 offering from Nova to wall in right-center field.

Jose Bautista clubbed a solo homer and scored three runs for Toronto, which erased a 5-3 deficit in the ninth against New York closer Mariano Rivera.

"This team continues to find ways to scratch and claw their way back into ballgames," Blue Jays manager John Farrell said. "It was just an outstanding team effort tonight."

Yunel Escobar doubled to begin the ninth, took third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch that was ball four to Bautista. After a single by Adam Lind put men on the corners, John McDonald, who entered as an injury replacement earlier in the game, dropped down a safety squeeze bunt up the first-base line to score Bautista with the tying run. Jose Molina then singled to load the bases for Corey Patterson, who grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Rivera, who blew his first save in eight chances, had allowed four hits in 8 1/3 scoreless innings over nine previous appearances this season. He gave up four hits in the ninth on Tuesday.

Jon Rauch (1-1) worked around a pair of walks in the top of the 10th for the Blue Jays, who were coming off a 3-7 road trip.

Toronto starter Kyle Drabek gave up four runs on six hits and issued four walks in 5 1/3 innings.

Mark Teixeira belted a two-run homer and Curtis Granderson added a solo shot for New York, while starter A.J. Burnett yielded three runs -- two earned -- on six hits and five walks over 5 1/3 innings.

Bautista took Burnett deep with two outs in the first for a 1-0 Toronto lead, but New York moved ahead in the next inning.

Nick Swisher and Eric Chavez drew consecutive walks before Jorge Posada smacked an RBI single to left field. It was just Posada's eighth hit of the season and third that wasn't a home run. Chavez then came home when Russell Martin grounded into a double play.

After stranding runners on the corners in the second, the Blue Jays managed to tie the game in the third without the benefit of a hit. Bautista worked a one- out walk and took second on a wild pitch. Lind hit a chopper back to Burnett, who quickly caught Bautista in a rundown. However, the right-hander's low throw couldn't be handled by shortstop Derek Jeter, and the error allowed Bautista to reach third and eventually score on Aaron Hill's sacrifice fly.

In the sixth, Teixeira followed a leadoff single by Granderson with a blast to right-center field for a 4-2 New York lead. Jason Frasor replaced Drabek later in the inning and retired Brett Gardner on a fly ball to escape a bases-loaded jam.

Toronto got a run back in the bottom half of the frame. Hill led off with a single, but was forced to leave after injuring himself while stealing second base. Patterson then walked and Encarnacion doubled home pinch-runner McDonald.

David Robertson replaced Burnett after the latter walked Jayson Nix to load the bases and fanned both Escobar and Snider to defuse the rally.

Granderson belted a solo home run off Frasor in the seventh to make it 5-3.

Game Notes

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez missed his second straight game because of lower back and oblique stiffness...New York had played just one series on the road thus far this season, losing two of three in Boston (April 8-10)...Hill suffered a strained right hamstring and listed as day-to- day...Toronto activated reliever Frank Francisco from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday and optioned fellow right-hander Jesse Litsch to Triple-A Las Vegas.a.