NEW YORK — Aaron Altherr Jersey , Giancarlo Stanton struck out swinging on a high strike that sent his momentum toward the ground. He then slammed his right fist on the dirt to express his disgust at how the at-bat ended.It was that kind of day for the New York Yankees, who hope to rebound from a difficult showing at the plate Sunday afternoon in the finale of a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays.Stanton hit his 34th homer in his next at-bat but the Yankees fell behind by seven runs before their furious comeback fell short and they were handed an 8-7 loss.Article continues below ...Didi Gregorius homered twice and Miguel Andujar hit his second career grand slam to cap a six-run seventh, but the Yankees could not overcome striking out 16 times, stranding 10 going 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.“We have a group in there capable of turning this thing in a heartbeat,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “We’ve got to keep battling through this right now. I feel like we are showing some signs of pulling ourselves out of it a little bit, but we’ve got to do better.” As a result, their uneven play of late continued. The Yankees (91-57) are 8-10 since Aug. 26 and what was once a 4 1/2 game lead over Oakland for home field in the wild card game is down to 1 1/2.“Does it concern us? Yeah, because we’re supposed to win,” Gregorius said. “You always want to play to win. That’s what’s going on. That’s what you want to do, for us. We’re not playing that way right now, but I think we’ll pick it up soon.”The Blue Jays will try to get their first series of the season from the Yankees. They are 5-13 against the New York but hit three homers and held on to snap a four-game losing streak.Randall Grichuk homered twice while Kevin Pilar added one.Sunday could be manager John Gibbons last game managing the Blue Jays in Yankee Stadium, across the street from where his first managerial stint with the team began in August 2004.“I’m a fan of the history of baseball,” Gibbons said Friday. “This is a new stadium but it’s still Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park … You look back to the first time you were there and you’re kind of in awe of those places. You never know either if you’re ever going to come back so you try to enjoy it.” New York right-hander Lance Lynn looks to reach double figures in wins for the sixth straight season when he makes his eighth start for the Yankees. After going 7-8 for Minnesota http://www.philliesfanproshop.com/authentic-chase-utley-jersey , he is 2-2 with a 4.79 ERA in eight appearances for the Yankees.Lynn rebounded from an ugly outing Sept. 2 against Detroit on Sept. 8 when he allowed two runs on three hits in six innings of a 4-2 win at Seattle.Lynn is 0-2 with a 6.88 ERA in four career appearances (three starts) against the Blue Jays. He took a no-decision against them Aug. 17 in a 7-5 New York win when he allowed four of his five runs in the first inning and lasted four frames.Rookie Thomas Pannone makes his fourth career start for the Blue Jays and 10th appearance. As a starting pitcher, he is 2-1 with a 4.86 ERA.Pannone last pitched a week ago in a 6-2 victory over Cleveland when he allowed two runs on four hits in 6 1/3 innings. ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The new manager of the Texas Rangers, whomever that may be, will have a talented group of 20-something position players who got a lot of experience during a 95-loss season.After deciding who will replace Jeff Banister, general manager Jon Daniels has to find some starting pitchers.The Rangers also go into the offseason awaiting a final decision from future Hall of Fame third baseman Adrian Beltre on if he has indeed played his last game after 21 seasons in the majors with 3,166 hits and 477 home runs. He hit a team-best .273 with 15 homers and 65 RBIs in 119 games this year. Beltre got huge ovations from fans, teammates and opposing players when taken out midway through games the past two Sundays — in the home finale Sept. 23 and then Sunday in Seattle, where he played five seasons before one year in Boston and the last eight in Texas. His wife and 12-year-old son, who has his own locker next to his dad in the home clubhouse, were in the front row for the season finale.“I don’t know if this is going to be it, but I enjoyed every minute of it,” said Beltre Richie Ashburn Jersey , who turns 40 next April. He is expected to take a week or more to think things over.Shortstop Elvis Andrus, at 30 the team’s longest-tenured player with 10 seasons in Texas, also has a decision to make. He is halfway through a $120 million, eight-year contract that offers him the opportunity to opt out this offseason, or next, and become a free agent.“I’ll go into the offseason and decide what’s best. I love being here. I want to retire as a Ranger. That’s my motivation,” said Andrus, the only current Rangers player to be part of both of their World Series appearances. “Hopefully the big boy will come back. That will make it a lot easier.”As for the manager, bench coach Don Wakamatsu served in the interim role after Banister was fired with 10 games left and is considered a candidate for the job.The Rangers won the AL West in each of Banister’s first two years (2015-16). They now have consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 2005-08, though Daniels said that wasn’t necessarily the manager’s fault when the focus switched to the development of younger players.Seven position players 25 or younger played at least 106 games this season.That includes Jurickson Profar, the likely starting third baseman if Beltre retires. Profar, who at age 19 in 2012 homered in his first big-league at-bat before shoulder issues forced him to miss two full seasons, hit .254 with 20 homers and 77 RBIS in 146 games while playing all four infield positions. Joey Gallo Chuck Klein Jersey , the 24-year-old slugger, had his second 40-homer season in a row.MINOR ACHIEVEMENTWhen Mike Minor signed a three-year contract last offseason, he was coming off a season as a full-time reliever after missing two years because of left shoulder surgery. The 30-year-old lefty went 12-8 with a 4.18 ERA in 28 starts. He was the only pitcher to start and finish the season in the Rangers rotation. His 157 innings more than doubled his 77 2-3 in Kansas City last season.REST OF ROTATIONLefty Cole Hamels was traded in July to the Chicago Cubs, and inconsistent lefty Martin Perez likely won’t be brought back. Bartolo Colon, the 45-year-old right hander who became the winningest pitcher born in Latin America, isn’t coming back. Yovani Gallardo was 8-8 with a 5.77 ERA in 18 starts after rejoining Texas in June, right after injured Doug Fister (1-7, 4.50) made his final start.THUMB DOWNNomar Mazara missed a month on the disabled list because a sprained right thumb that still bothered him after returning to the lineup in mid-August. The 23-year-old right-fielder didn’t homer in his last 22 games, and hit 258 overall in 128 games with 20 homers for the third year in a row. He will see hand specialist this week and could have surgery.BALLPARK FAREWELLThe Rangers’ ballpark turns 25 next year, which will be the final season there before moving in 2020 to the new stadium being built across the street. The 2019 farewell season for the current ballpark opens March 28 against the Chicago Cubs — maybe against Hamels or Yu Darvish.