by Robert MacLeod , Breaking News from globeandmail.com

ABSTRACT

New York beats Toronto 4-2 while Jays' highest paid player responds to loss by saying he should have just walked through open door in outfield wall

It has been a trying season to say the least for Vernon Wells.

The highest-paid player on the Toronto Blue Jays has had to endure the wrath of the home town fans over his continued struggles at the plate that led to his recent demotion in the batting order.

So it kind of figured that when a door in outfield wall came ajar during the fifth inning of Toronto's game against the New York Yankees here yesterday afternoon it was left to Wells to trot over from his spot in centrefield to shut it.

From millionaire outfielder to chief gatekeeper at new Yankee Stadium, the imagery was not lost on Wells.

"I should have closed it and just stayed behind the gate," Wells noted wryly shortly after the Yankees (46-33) emerged with a 4-2 victory over the Blue Jays (42-39) in a sleepy little affair played out before 46,308 spectators.

It was not the outcome the faltering Blue Jays , now losers in five of their last six, were looking for to begin an important 10-day, 10-game road trip - all against their American League East rivals.

Brian Tallet, the Blue Jays starting pitcher, had his prerequisite one sloppy inning - in the fifth where he walked three and surrendered two New York runs that proved to be the difference as the Yankees won for the eighth time in their last nine.

"I let two bad ones score and more than anything else it's a heartbreaker for the team," said Tallet, who suffered his second straight loss to see his record tumble to 5-6.

To add insult to injury it was A.J. Burnett, the former Blue Jay , who picked up the win, limiting the Blue Jays to two runs off six hits over seven innings while striking out seven to run his record to 7-4.

It was the first of a four-game series for the Blue Jays in New York and marked Toronto's initial visit to new Yankee Stadium, which opened its doors for the start of the 2009 Major League Baseball season.

New York's new digs is stately and luxurious - and well it should be with the accompanying price tag of $1.5-billion (U.S.).

And people still bemoan the $600-million or so it cost to build Rogers Centre.

After being given the day off in Toronto's last game on Wednesday to mull over a 2-for-19 skid that had dropped his batting average to .248, Wells was back in the starting lineup, playing centrefield.

In an effort to try to shake him out of his hitting lethargy, Gaston bumped Wells down to sixth from third in the batting order.

"You know I put him in a situation where he really didn't have a choice," Wells said when asked how he took the news. "You can't really put your head down. It's my fault and it's something that if I want to get back in to the spots that I'm used to hitting I've got to do my job."

Gaston said he made the batting order move to try to ease some of the pressure off his star outfielder, but Wells said there's really not that much difference where he hits from.

"You've still got to hit, that's part of it," Wells said. "You've got to go up there and do your job no matter where you are in the lineup."

Wells responded by going 2-for-4 against the Yankees, including his eighth home run of the season in the sixth inning, that cut the New York lead to 3-2.

And his performance continued a bewildering trend of hitting far better on the road than at home.

Wells is now averaging .325 on the road compared to .172 at home in Toronto.

With the score tied at 1-1, the game got away from Tallet in the fifth that began when the lefty issued a lead-off walk to Brett Gardner, the Yankee's No. 9 hitter.

"No disrespect to Brett Gardner but he's the last guy we walk in that lineup, plain and simple," Tallet said.

Tallet then proceeded to walk the next batter, Derek Jeter, and the problems continued to mount after the Toronto pitcher had problems fielding a bunt by Johnny Damon down the first base line that left the bases loaded for New York with none out.

Tallet's third free pass, to Mark Teixeira, brought in go-ahead run. The second New York run of the inning scored on a passed ball.

Wells' home run cut the New York lead back to one but Alex Rodriguez responded in kind for the Yankees in the eighth, taking Toronto reliever Jeremy Accardo over the wall in right field to restore New York's two-run bulge.?

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