Jays outmuscle Yankees in finale
Offence belts four homers, Osuna fans all-star Judge to end 7-6 nail-biter
NEW YORK — When the Blue Jays can blow a 5-0 lead, break in a new catcher, survive a near meltdown by Marco Estrada and still win to take a series from the Yankees, maybe the baseball gods are starting to smile on them again.
With Roberto Osuna capping a second strong game from the pen and converting his 20th straight save in a showdown with league-leading slugger Aaron Judge, Toronto preserved a 7-6 win and a degree of sanity in their first consecutive victories since mid-June.
“We’re starting to click a little bit,” said Russell Martin, who added a new wrinkle to the lineup with one of his rare shifts from catcher to third base. “Better at-bats through the lineup, it’s contagious. A couple of guys get hot and it starts to trickle down the lineup.”
Incoming catcher Miguel Montero and Martin had a lot to take in from their respective new perches. They saw six balls leave Yankee Stadium in a home run derby, with the short porch in right field a factor.
The Yankees had shaky pitching at the start from Michael Pineda, lit up for five runs, while reliever Dellin Betances walked the bases full in the eighth and lost Martin on a full count to force the go-ahead run. In between, Estrada lost his groove and went to seven games with losses or no decisions.
“We had to win that grudge match to feel good about ourselves and have a good flight home going into a tough series against Houston,” Martin said. “Those (Yankees) are tough, they battled back, but we were able to put a tough inning on Betances (with composure at the plate) and we were able to walk in the winning run. We’ll take that.”
Both manager John Gibbons and Martin gave kudos to Montero for coming to a new team and working through a new staff. But Montero also benefited from a second strong shutdown game from Aaron Loup, winning pitcher Danny Barnes and the exclamation mark from Osuna. He and Montero got Judge to wave at a low pitch with a runner on first to end the game.
“(Montero) gives us a good low target and catches nicely,” Gibbons said of the veteran Venezuelan. “He’s got energy and I was impressed, but he’s been around. You can’t last in this league if you can’t catch (new pitchers).”
It was a narrow escape after a tworun Judge homer and a string of passes by Estrada.
“You get a nice lead and cough it up, that can suck it right out of you,” Gibbons said. “But you never feel good in these places because you have that short right field wall. And they have an off day tomorrow so they ran their whole bullpen. That’s why Russ’s homer (to tie it in the seventh) was so big.”
Judge hit homers in back to back games, with Wednesday’s his 29th to match Joe DiMaggio’s rookie record in New York set back in 1936. But Osuna didn’t bend.
“Our best against their best and our best won,” Gibbons said.
He noted Osuna has shown none of the anxiety issues that became public a couple of weeks ago.
“Just to be able to do what I love is fun,” said Osuna, who was also in on Tuesday’s 4-1 gem by starter J.A. Happ. “I’m doing my best, doing everything I can to get ready and get the job done. Everything is going in the right direction.
Tuesday was only the second game this year Jays won without an extrabase hit, but by the third inning in this one, Justin Smoak and Kendrys Morales put back-to-back homers on the board for the first time since May 30. Coupled with Kevin Pillar and Martin clearing the fences, they tied the season high from June 7 at Oakland.
Smoak’s poke also marked the third time this season that switch hitters in the majors have gone back to back, including himself and Morales back on May 5. Smoak had outfielder Judge looking forlornly at a 3-2 delivery he sent into the right deck, scoring Martin. The latter escaped a double play when Chase Headley double pumped throwing his grounder to get Jose Bautista at second.
Smoak’s 23rd homer extended his team record for most by a switch hitter prior to the all-star break, which is a big reason he’s going to the allstar game in Miami next week. That’s also the most by any switch hitter at this stage since 2011. Morales followed that by just clearing the centre wall, his 16th, while Pillar led off the fourth with another.
A Ryan Goins single lifted Pineda from the game, but after striking out Judge in their first encounter, Estrada gave up a two run belt to the rookie. Judge’s fifth inning single was just as meaningful, part of a four-run rally to take a 6-5 lead. South Korean newcomer Choi supplied a two-run shot.
Loup restored order and Danny Barnes tamed the Yankees in the eighth with a couple of strikeouts.