TORONTO — Joe Torre felt “helpless” and Johnny Damon said the Yankees got their “brains beat in” by the Blue Jays.

No doubt about it, New York was happy to leave Toronto after another loss yesterday.

Vernon Wells hit two of Toronto’s five homers and the Blue Jays scored eight times in the third inning of a 13–5 victory over the Yankees, who lost for the fourth time in five games overall.

“We certainly served it up today,” Torre said.

Troy Glaus, Eric Hinske, and Reed Johnson homered in the third, helping Shaun Marcum earn his first major league win. Wells and Johnson each had four RBIs for the Blue Jays, who took three of four in the series and moved within two games of the secondplace Yankees in the AL East.

“We could have easily taken all four,” Wells said. “But you’ve got to be happy with three.”

Toronto matched a season high with nine extra-base hits and scored 11 runs on five homers.

Sidney Ponson (0–1) struggled in his second start for New York — allowing six runs, five hits and three walks in 2 1-3 innings.

Ponson hasn’t won in nine starts, dating to his stint with St. Louis this season.

“I really expected something from Sidney today, but it just looked like he didn’t have any command at all,” Torre said.

Torre said Ponson deserves another start, but he doesn’t know when it will be because of two off days coming up.

“I know the situation,” Ponson said. “I’m not pitching like I used to. I don’t know why.”

Alex Rodriguez went 0-for-4 and is in a 4-for-27 slump. He was back at third base after a day as New York’s designated hitter and didn’t commit an error after making five in his previous five star

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ASTROS 8, METS 4 Houston pitcher Roy Oswalt has been around long enough to recognize that baseball isn’t always fair.

“Sometimes you pitch great and lose,” Oswalt noted yesterday. “And sometimes you pitch terrible and win.”

The Astros beat the New York Mets 8-4 Sunday and Oswalt’s bat had as much to do with the win as his arm. He contributed a pair of singles to help build Houston rallies and came away with his first victory in over a month.

There had been four losses and three no-decisions since he beat Chicago on June 14 so Sunday’s win was a welcome change. “It was a battle,” Oswalt said. “I didn’t have great stuff. Sometimes you’re able to battle and get through it.”

It was a day that did not begin well for Oswalt (7–7). He gave up a three-run homer to New York’s Carlos Delgado in the first inning. It was a similiar start to Saturday when the Mets’ Orlando Hernandez gave up three runs to Houston in the first inning in a game New York won 4-3.

“After it’s 3–0, you just try to keep your club in the ballgame,”Oswalt said. “I was able to get to the sixth.”

By then, the Astros had battled back to take the lead. They scored a run in the third when Oswalt contributed a single and four more in the fifth when he led off with another single.

Manager Phil Garner wasn’t as tough on Oswalt as the pitcher was on himself.

“I thought Roy threw good,” the manager said. “He left one up over the plate to Delgado. The Mets are swinging pretty good right now.They worked deep counts on him.”

Oswalt had thrown 106 pitches when he left the game with two out in the sixth. He gave up four runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings. He struck out four and walked three. Four Houston relievers did not allow a hit and shut out the Mets the rest of the way

“Oswalt did for them what El Duque did for us the other day,” Mets third baseman David Wright said. “Once he got out of the first inning, he settled down and started making good pitches.”

The victory ended a three-game losing streak for the Astros, who avoided a weekend sweep.