Sabathia Shows No Rust in Return Andruw Jones hit a three-run homer in the second inning in support of C.C. Sabathia (10-3). Sabathia limited the Blue Jays to four hits in six-plus innings, striking out six. It had been three weeks since C. C. Sabathia pitched for the Yankees, a gap long enough to make many fans yearn for the sight of him on the mound, his baggy uniform ruffling in the warm breeze as batter after batter flailed at his crisp, well-placed pitches. So when Sabathia walked off the mound Tuesday in the seventh inning after surrendering only his fourth hit, the fans at Yankee Stadium responded with a standing ovation. Sabathia had not pitched since June 24 because of a strained groin muscle that sent him to the 15-day disabled list. He insisted the injury was not serious, but any harm to a team's ace is cause for concern, which is why his performance produced such a strong response from the fans. Refreshed, strong and strikingly precise, Sabathia provided reassurance he was healthy with a dominant performance as the Yankees pounded the Blue Jays, 6-1, to move a season-high 22 games over .500. "I was really impressed," said Manager Joe Girardi, perhaps a little relieved to know his best and most durable pitcher had returned looking as good as ever. In his first scoreless outing of the year, Sabathia (10-3) allowed four hits and a walk and struck out six before leaving after facing one batter in the seventh. He threw the ball hard, but always under control, and his changeup was as good as it has been in more than a year, he said. At no time did he appear in danger of faltering against the Blue Jays" short-handed lineup. With Andruw Jones supplying the daily supply of power with a three-run homer, Sabathia earned his first win since June 18. The last batter he faced was Adam Lind, who singled to right field on Sabathia's 87th pitch, two pitches over the soft limit Girardi had set. All that was left was for Sabathia to walk to the dugout and absorb the adulation from his relieved supporters. "I was a little disappointed I gave up the hit to Lind," Sabathia said. But it felt good to get that standing ovation. The Blue Jays played without the slugger Jose Bautista, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with inflammation in his left wrist. Bautista was injured while fouling off a ball in the eighth inning of Monday's game and appeared to be in considerable pain at the time. X-rays were negative and a magnetic resonance imaging test Tuesday showed no structural damage, the Blue Jays said. "I'll be back soon," he told reporters before Tuesday's game. In the interim, the Jays are without their primary source of power. Bautista has 27 home runs, 14 doubles and 65 runs batted in, despite a .244 batting average. Two years ago he hit 54 home runs, and last season he had 43. His presence Tuesday might not have made much of a difference against Sabathia: Bautista is only 1 for 19 against him, with the lone hit a single. The Blue Jays replaced Bautista on the roster with Anthony Gose, who was called up from Class AAA Las Vegas. Ben Francisco started for Bautista in right field, but Gose pinch-hit for him in the seventh and grounded out to short. He moved to right field in the bottom of the inning, and recorded his first major league hit in the ninth. Without Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, who has 25 home runs, was left somewhat exposed in the middle of the Jays" lineup. He doubled off Sabathia in his first at-bat in the second inning, but flied to deep center field in the fourth and then struck out looking at a 94-mile-per-hour fastball in the sixth that Sabathia placed perfectly on the outside corner. "He stayed out of the middle of the plate," Blue Jays Manager John Farrell said of Sabathia. We didn't get many pitches to hit. Sabathia said that while he was sidelined, he worked diligently on his changeup, and he saw immediate results. "My changeup was better than it has been all year," he said, "and maybe last year, too." The Yankees gave Sabathia an early lead after Robinson Cano led off the bottom of the second with a ground-ball single to extend his hitting streak to 20 games. Nick Swisher drew a walk to bring up Jones, who lined a ball into the stands down the left-field line to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead. It was the second time in two nights that one of Brett Gardner's replacements in left field had homered with runners on base, as if reinforcing the notion that the Yankees do not need outside help as the trading deadline nears. On Monday, Raul Ibanez hit a tiebreaking grand slam with two outs in the eighth inning. Gardner has been out since April 17 with a strained right elbow. He had an M.R.I. on Tuesday, and three of the doctors he has seen previously will examine the results in the next day or two. If the prognosis is bad, the Yankees may consider trading for an outfielder. Players like Shane Victorino, Ibanez's former teammate with the Philadelphia Phillies, and Justin Upton of the Arizona Diamondbacks are likely to become part of trade speculation since their teams are doing poorly. "As for trades, that's not what we as players do," Jones said. We just have to go out and play and help the team win. Whatever they do, we have to accept it.