Ben Rice hits tiebreaking homer in 10th as Yankees beat Blue Jays to avoid three-game sweep

TORONTO — Ben Rice hit a tiebreaking two-run home run  in the 10th inning as the Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-3, on Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep.

The Yankees' four runs were twice as many as they had scored in the previous three games, all losses. They entered the seventh inning Sunday having scored three runs and gone 14-for-108 in their previous 33 innings. 

Rice hit his 33rd homer of the season, a 438-foot shot off Braydon Fisher (3-4), to make up for an error in the ninth inning that helped the Blue Jays tie the score at 2-2.

Tim Hill gave up an RBI single to Andres Gimenez in the bottom of the 10th but held on for his second save in six chances.

Josh Smith reached on Rice’s fielding error to begin the ninth and Alejandro Kirk walked to put the tying run in scoring position. Brandon Valenzuela ran for Kirk and, one out later, both runners moved up on a wild pitch by David Bednar before Ernie Clement tied it with a sacrifice fly.

Yankees lefthander Ryan Weathers allowed one run and six hits in 7 1/3 innings, retiring the first 10 batters in order. He walked one and struck out four.

In his past five starts, Weathers has a 0.85 ERA and 0.95 WHIP, having allowed three runs, 21 hits and nine walks with 25 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings.

During the past 18 games, Yankees starting pitchers have provided 15 brilliant outings, compiling a 1.07 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. Their stats: 92 2/3 innings, 12 runs (11 earned), 57 hits, 24 walks, 95 strikeouts. The Yankees, however, have gone only 8-7 in those games because of their struggling offense.

The Yankees moved within 5 1/2 games of the AL East-leading Rays and also gained a game on the Red Sox, moving three games ahead.

Toronto's Dylan Cease was charged with two runs and allowed three hits in 6 1/3 innings, leaving the game after George Lombard Jr.'s double in the seventh. 

Cease struck out 10, reaching double digits for the ninth time in 23 starts and boosting his AL-leading total to 201. Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski leads the majors with 210. Cease has fanned at least 200 batters in each of the past six seasons.