Jays' Buehrle tries to solve Yankees

(SportsNetwork.com) - Mark Buehrle tries to stop a personal two-game losing streak on Wednesday when the Toronto Blue Jays close out a three-game set with the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre.

It won't be easy, though, as Buehrle has struggled mightily against the Yankees in his 16-year career, going a dismal 1-14 with a 6.21 ERA in 21 starts against them. His only win against the Yankees came in 2004 with the Chicago White Sox.

Buehrle had won his first three starts this season, but has been roughed up his last two times out and couldn't get out of the fifth inning on Friday in Cleveland. The left-hander was pounded for eight runs and 11 hits in 4 1/3 innings of that one and saw his ERA rise to 6.75.

"Today it was kind of an embarrassment to go out and get your butt kicked like that," Buehrle said after the loss.

New York, meanwhile, will turn to a veteran lefty of its own in CC Sabathia, who is 0-4 with a 5.40 ERA. Sabathia did not get a decision on Friday in Boston, but pitched well, as he gave up two runs and seven hits in six innings.

Sabathia has faced the Blue Jays 21 times and is 15-5 against them with a 3.25 ERA.

New York evened this series at a game apiece on Tuesday, as Michael Pineda's eight scoreless innings got the Yankees back on track with a 6-3 win.

Limiting the highest scoring team in the majors to five hits while striking out six, Pineda (4-0) helped the Yankees bounce back from a 3-1 defeat in Monday's series opener and win for the 11th time in 14 games.

"I felt like he was tough from the first pitch," Yankees catcher Brian McCann said of Pineda. "He creates such tough angles for hitters, that it's hard to square him up. And it's hard to do it consecutive at-bats. That's why he doesn't give up big innings. That's why he pitches deep into ballgames. He's just got really good stuff and knows what he's doing."

The big right-hander received support via Mark Teixeira's 10th home run of the season, a two-run shot off Marco Estrada. Alex Rodriguez also drove in two with a first-inning double, while Jacoby Ellsbury continued his hot stretch by going 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.

Estrada (1-1) was tagged for five runs -- four earned -- and eight hits over 4 2/3 innings in his first start of the season.

Toronto did strike for three runs in the ninth to force closer Andrew Miller to come on for a one-out save, with Russell Martin's solo homer igniting the comeback effort.

"We had some guys on base early in the game, couldn't get the big hit to pull close," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "But (Pineda) was good. He shut down a hot offense."

Toronto took two of three from the Yankees in the season-opening series at Yankee Stadium back on April 6-9.