Cole, Hicks help Yankees get one back from Blue Jays

Aaron Hicks had three RBIs with a triple and a single, right-hander Gerrit Cole struck out seven in seven innings, and the visiting New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 12-1 on Tuesday night in Buffalo, N.Y.

Gio Urshela added four hits and two RBIs to extend his hit streak to 11 games as the teams have split the first two games of a four-game series.

Cole (7-3) allowed one run and five hits in beating the Blue Jays for the second straight start.

Cavan Biggio hit a solo home run for the Blue Jays (28-27).

Blue Jays right-hander Tanner Roark (2-3) allowed six runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings in his third straight start against the Yankees.

The Yankees (32-23) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Aaron Judge singled and scored on a triple by Hicks, who then came home on Roark's wild pitch.

New York added a run in the fourth on a two-out double by Gleyber Torres and a single by Urshela.

Biggio led off the bottom of the fourth with his seventh homer and his first since Aug. 17.

Kyle Higashioka singled with one out to get New York's four-run fifth going. DJ LeMahieu was hit by a pitch. Judge hit an RBI single and took second on the throw to third as LeMahieu slid in safely. Thomas Hatch replaced Roark and allowed a two-run single to Hicks, who then stole second as Luke Voit struck out. Torres then scored Hicks on a single.

Chase Anderson, who allowed five homers in one inning to the Yankees last week, started the sixth inning for the Blue Jays and retired his first eight batters faced (five by strikeout). But Urshela doubled with two outs, Clint Frazier walked, Brett Gardner singled home Urshela, and Higashioka doubled in Frazier and Gardner. The double had been ruled a home run but was changed to a double after a video review.

Torres and Urshela had RBI singles against Wilmer Font in the ninth.

Zack Britton pitched a perfect eighth inning for the Yankees and Adam Ottavino had a clean ninth.

Travis Shaw was a late scratch for the Blue Jays because of back spasms.

--Field Level Media