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Yankees manager Aaron Boone would like to see Luis Severino start the All Star game for the American League.

He just wants someone else to take over in the second inning.

Severino pitched five innings to earn his major league-leading 14th win Lorenzo Carter Color Rush Jersey , Brett Gardner and Aaron Judge each hit solo home runs, and New York beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-5 Saturday.

Severino (14-2) won his fifth straight start, allowing three runs and five hits. Two of the hits off Severino were home runs, marking the first time this season that he has allowed more than one homer in a game. Severino has allowed three earned runs or less in 16 consecutive starts.

”He’s been everything you want an ace to be,” Boone said.

The All-Star rosters will be announced Sunday, although starting pitchers for each league won’t be named until the day before the game.

”I’d love to see him start, and go one inning,” Boone said.

Jonathan Holder, David Robertson, Dellin Betances each worked one inning and Aroldis Chapman got the first out of the ninth before leaving with a sore left knee, the same injury that has bothered him for several weeks.

”Just a little more discomfort than what I usually have been feeling,” Champman said through a translator.

With the Yankees ahead by four runs Derrius Guice Jersey Redskins , Boone wasn’t about to take any chances.

”He said he was fine to continue but I just didn’t want to mess with it,” Boone said.

Chasen Shreve finished for New York, giving up a solo homer to Aledmys Diaz.

Gardner connected on left-hander J.A. Happ’s first pitch of the game, the 14th leadoff homer of his career and first time he’s gone deep on the opening pitch.

Judge piled on when he homered on Happ’s fifth pitch, his 25th of the season.

”He does a good job of really painting the corners and mixing his pitches well,” Judge said of Happ.” We were able to capitalize on a couple that were out over the plate.”

Happ (10-5), a potential trade target for the Yankees, had a dreadful audition. He allowed six runs and four hits in 2 2-3 innings, his shortest start of the season.

”You never know what’s speculation, what’s truth, and what has any realistic chance,” Happ said of the trade rumours. ”I’m just trying to play and pitch and I’m happy right here.”

Happ matched season-worsts by allowing seven runs and 10 hits in his previous outing Adidas Henrik Lundqvist Jersey , last Sunday against Detroit. It’s the first time in Happ’s career that he has allowed at least six earned runs in consecutive starts. Happ has lost back-to-back outings following a six-game winning streak.

Brandon Drury hit a two-run double in the first and Gardner hit a two-run triple in the fifth before scoring on catcher Luke Maile’s passed ball.

Toronto’s Kevin Pillar hit a two-run homer in the second and Randal Grichuk added a solo shot in the fourth.

New York outfielder Aaron Hicks left after four innings because of a sore left hamstring. Clint Frazier came on to play left field in the bottom of the fifth, with Gardner moving from left to center.

Boone said Hicks will get the day off Sunday in the hopes that he’ll be ready to return for Monday’s doubleheader at Baltimore.

Home plate umpire Lance Barrett made two ejections, both in the third inning. Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia was ejected for arguing balls and strikes from the bench moments before Blue Jays manager John Gibbons was also tossed for arguing.

CATCH OF THE DAY

Toronto’s Curtis Granderson made a sensational diving catch to retire Kyle Higashioka for the final out of the first.

WALK THIS WAY

The Yankees drew 10 walks, their highest total of 2018. It was the most issued in a single game by the Blue Jays this season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: New York recalled Frazier from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre and designated RHP David Hale for assignment. Hale pitched 5 2-3 innings Friday in relief of RHP Sonny Gray. … C Gary Sanchez (right groin) caught RHP Masahiro Tanaka’s pregame bullpen session and also took two rounds of batting practice. Boone said Sanchez could begin a minor league rehab assignment July 15. … Triple-A RHP Luis Cessa is expected to start the second game of Monday’s doubleheader. Triple-A RHP Jonathan Loaisiga was a candidate for the start but has been ruled out because of a sore shoulder. Boone said Loaisiga had an MRI Friday and will visit New York’s team doctor Monday.

Blue Jays: RHP Rhiner Cruz (right groin) left in the ninth inning. … RHP Preston Guilmet was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo. Guilmet was designated for assignment Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Yankees RHP Domingo German (2-4, 5.37) faces Blue Jays LHP Ryan Borucki (0-1, 2.77) in Sunday’s series finale. German has failed to complete five innings in his past two starts. Borucki made his home debut against Detroit on Monday, allowing two runs and two hits in seven innings.

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PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers know they’re behind the eight-ball Tuesday night at Moda Center when they play host to the New Orleans Pelicans in Game 2 of their best-of-seven first-round playoff series.

The No. 6 seed Pelicans stole a 97-95 victory in Saturday’s opener. The No. 3 seed Trail Blazers realize they can’t go to New Orleans for Games 3 and 4 trailing 2-0 in the series.

“It puts some pressure on us,” Portland point guard Damian Lillard said. “You come in with home-court (advantage) and you lose the first one. Now in (the Pelicans’) locker room, they’re saying, ‘We got one. Why not go get another one?’

“Our job is to defend the home court, so it’s one game at a time. We can’t let (Saturday’s) loss go into the next game.”

Portland has plenty of things to solve after Game 1. The Blazers would like to do a better defensive job on Anthony Davis Cheap D.J. Fluker Jersey , who carved them up for 35 points and 14 rebounds.

More important, they need to get their offense going early. The Blazers shot 31.9 percent from the field, including 3 of 17 from 3-point range, and trailed 45-36 at intermission on Saturday. Lillard and backcourt mate CJ McCollum combined for three points on 1-of-15 shooting in the first half.

McCollum finished with 19 points and Lillard 18 as the Blazers got untracked for 59 second-half points. But New Orleans’ defense on the Portland guards was as big a factor as any in the outcome.

“We just wanted to make sure we put as much pressure as we could on Dame and CJ, and make someone else beat us,” Davis said. “Our main focus was to make it tough on Dame and CJ.”

New Orleans’ Jrue Holiday was the best guard on the floor Saturday, with 21 points on 10-of-20 shooting and seven rebounds to go with outstanding defense.

“With Kawhi Leonard injured, I don’t know if there’s a better two-way player in the game,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. “We ask him to get 20 points every night and guard the best perimeter player on the other team, regardless of size or who it is. I don’t know if you can do a better job on those two guards than Jrue and (Rajon Rondo) did.”

Lillard thought the Blazers should shoulder the blame.

“We just didn’t make shots,” said Lillard, who played 42 minutes Cheap Joseph Noteboom Jersey , including the entire second half. “Give credit to what they did defensively. They were physical, and they were trapping a lot of my pick-and-rolls. But it comes down to the way we shot. We got a fair amount of good looks; we just didn’t knock them down.

“We probably played as bad as we could possibly play. And (the Pelicans) played really well, and we still had a chance to win at the end. If we come out (in Game 2) and play like the team that we are, it’ll be a much better performance.”

Saturday’s win was the first ever in the playoffs for Davis, now in his sixth season in the NBA.

“It means a lot to get that monkey off your back,” he said. “But now that’s over with. We want to come in Tuesday and get another one. We always believe. Winning this game makes us believe more, especially on the road.”

Gentry said, “We feel comfortable playing away from home. If you can win the first game, it takes the edge off. But we have to do the same thing (on Tuesday). You can’t take anything for granted. You still have to play with the same intensity.”
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