Yankees rough up Estrada, humble Blue Jays 12-2

TORONTO — CC Sabathia pitched effectively into the seventh inning and Gary Sanchez hit two home runs as the New York Yankees roughed up Marco Estrada early in a 12-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday.

The last-place Blue Jays (2628) looked to have turned a corner in May, going 18-10 after an 8-17 April. They finished the month with a three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds and hoped to continue that streak into June.

But the AL East leading Yankees (31-20) wouldn’t allow it.

Aaron Hicks drove in six runs on four hits — three of them doubles — Chase Headley had two RBI’s, and Brett Gardner had a milestone night, reaching 1,000 career hits.

Sabathia (6-2) struck out seven and allowed five hits and one run through 6 1/3 to improve to 8-3 at Rogers Centre.

Kendrys Morales and Ezequiel Carrera hit solo homers late for Toronto. Estrada (4-3) lasted just 3 2/3, allowing seven runs on nine hits with two walks and four strikeouts while snapping his own string of three straight wins.

The 33-year-old right-hander needed 29 pitches to get out of a disastrous first inning that saw the Yankees send eight men to the plate and score four runs. Aaron Judge started it off by plating Gardner from second base with a single before a basesclearing double from Hicks added three more runs.

The Yankees increased their lead to 5-0 in the second with a two-out solo homer from Sanchez, who again connected off Estrada in the fourth with a two-run home run to give New York a 7-0 lead.

An RBI double from Hicks off reliever Leonel Campos in the seventh scored Didi Gregorius from first to extend the lead again. Toronto challenged the close play at the plate but the umpires upheld the call after a video review. Headley then drove in Hicks to make it 9-0.

Morales led off the seventh with his 11th homer to put Toronto on the board. Carrera added a solo shot in the eighth.

Hicks hit his third double of the game in the ninth off J.P. Howell, scoring two more Yankees runs and an RBI single from Headley made it 12-2.

NOTES: Francisco Liriano (2-2, 6.35 earned-run average) is expected to return off the disabled list (shoulder) to start for Toronto against the Yankees on Friday. New York counters with Michael Pineda (6-2, 3.32 ERA). ... Michelle Cherny of Pride Toronto threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Kevin Pillar, who was suspended two games last month after yelling an antigay slur at a Braves pitcher during a game in Atlanta.