TORONTO — Can anybody here play this game?
On a night when so much was on the table for the Yankees, they delivered a miserable performance against a putrid team that started a good pitcher.
Ivan Nova didn’t pitch well. Robinson Cano dropped a relay throw and made a baserunning mistake. Right fielder Ichiro Suzuki botched a ball on the warning track. And the hitters wilted in front of Brandon Morrow.
“Everybody knows what’s at stake,’’ Nick Swisher said after a discouraging 6-0 loss to the Blue Jays in front of an announced crowd of 23,060 at Rogers Centre. “We have to play better.’’
Do they ever.
Presented with a chance to push their AL East lead to two lengths over the idle Orioles with six games remaining, the Yankees instead hold a one-game advantage and their magic number remained at six.
In what possibly was Nova’s final regular-season start, the right-hander gave up four runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings.
“I didn’t get the results I wanted,’’ said Nova, whose next start is slated for Tuesday night against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in the next-to-last game of the regular season. “I am working on everything possible to make pitches and get people out. This year has been really bad for me.’’
Girardi said he hasn’t decided to hook Nova from the rotation, but when asked if that could change between now and Tuesday, Girardi said, “We will see.’’
If Girardi doesn’t need David Phelps in long relief before then, the rookie right-hander would be a strong candidate to make what will likely be a crucial start.
Russell Martin saw encouraging signs, such as Nova’s curveball being crisp, and tried to deflect blame from Nova, who fell to 12-8.
“You can’t win games if you don’t score runs,’’ Martin said.
After walking No. 9 hitter Anthony Gose with one out in the third, Nova watched Brett Lawrie crush a high fastball over the right-field wall for a two-run homer.
In the fifth, Edwin Encarnacion laced a ball to right that Ichiro needed a few stabs at to pick up on the track. His throw to Cano in short right field appeared to set up a play at the plate on Colby Rasmus, but Cano bobbled it and two runs scored.
Cano, who had three of the Yankees’ five hits, was doubled off first in the fourth when Gose made a back-to-the-plate grab of Swisher’s fly ball to deep left.
“[Cano] probably got a little too far, but that was a great play by Gose,’’ Girardi said.
Morrow allowed four hits in seven innings and snuffed out the Yankees’ best scoring chance in his final frame.
“He is always tough for us,’’ Derek Jeter said of the right-hander, who is 9-7. “He was hitting his spots.’’
Asked how frustrating it was to let another opportunity slip away, Alex Rodriguez said Tuesday night’s flush job in Minneapolis was more deflating.
“A couple of nights ago was more frustrating,’’ Rodriguez said of the Yankees blowing the 3-1 lead they held in the seventh inning.
There is precious little time left for the Yankees and Orioles, who each have six games remaining. Neither can afford a night like the Yankees experienced last evening.
Now the question is can the Yankees afford to give Nova the ball again?
george.king@nypost.com