TORONTO -- Kevin Brown might wind up in the Yankees' playoff rotation after all.
Brown held Toronto to one hit through five sharp innings, though the Toronto Blue Jays beat New York behind Roy Halladay.
Auditioning for a start in the postseason, Brown (10-6) held the Blue Jays to Vernon Wells' double in the fourth -- and one unearned run.
"This might make us consider that," pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre said. "The fact that he pitched as well as he did today, it gives us another option to use him in some capacity, how we use him I'm not sure."
Brown missed three weeks after breaking his non-pitching hand when he punched a clubhouse wall on Sept. 3. He was hit hard in his return, getting just two outs at Boston last Sunday.
With Orlando Hernandez struggling with a tired arm, Brown might start Game 3 of the playoffs. Mike Mussina will start Tuesday's playoff opener, followed by Jon Lieber in Game 2.
Stottlemyre tentatively has Hernandez scheduled for Game 3 next Friday, but Hernandez won't make the roster if he doesn't feel good when he throws on the side on Monday.
Stottlemyre has Javier Vazquez penciled in for Game 4, but he said he might change that.
Brown blamed a sore back for his previous loss to Boston.
"My back was really tight, stiff the last time out. Today I managed to find a way to get it looser," Brown said. "The hand is a non-issue. It's not a problem."
Catcher Jorge Posada said Brown was outstanding.
"I thought he did everything possible to make it tough for Joe Torre to make a decision," Posada said.
Torre served a one-game suspension because one of his pitchers threw at a batter after warnings were issued in Boston last Sunday. Bench coach Willie Randolph replaced Torre as manager.
Two days after clinching their seventh straight AL East title, the Yankees started just two regulars, Posada and Hideki Matsui. Posada left the game in the fifth with stiffness in his back.
"I'm good. I could have played the whole game," Posada said.
Halladay (8-8) allowed one run and six hits in eight innings, his third start since returning from the disabled list. He struck out five and walked none.
"I feel good about how things ended. Now I'm even more anxious to move forward," Halladay said.
Miguel Batista pitched the ninth for his fifth save.
Wells doubled in the fourth and scored on second baseman Enrique Wilson's error.
Gregg Zaun's two-run double off Esteban Loaiza in the sixth gave Toronto a 3-0 lead.
New York's John Olerud hit an RBI single in the seventh, but Orlando Hudson reclaimed the three-run lead for Toronto with an RBI single in the home half.
Pinch-hitter Tony Clark drove in the Yankees' second run with a groundout in the ninth.
Notes
New York DH Jason Giambi went 1-for-4, and is 4-for-29 (.138) since he was activated from the disabled list. ... The Blue Jays have fired pitching coach Gil Patterson and first base coach Joe Breeden.
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