Cold bats cost Jays in loss to Yankees
On a cold night in The Bronx, the Toronto Blue Jays couldn’t get their bats to heat up, dropping the first game of a fourgame series at Yankee Stadium, 4-3.
The Jays, fourth in the American League in runs scored this season, managed just six hits in Thursday game, four off New York lefty CC Sabathia, who was activated from the DL prior to the game (right hip strain). The Jays went 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position and that’s what ultimately buried them.
Toronto looked like they were going to stage some more late-game heroics in the eighth, loading the bases with none out. but only managed to score one run off Yankees reliever David Robertson. Teoscar Hernandez kicked off the inning with a sharp single to left off Robertson. Justin Smoak walked, as did Yangervis Solarte, to load the bases. Robertson then struck out Kevin Pillar. Former Yankee Curtis Granderson, pinch hitting for Aledmys Diaz, singled to shallow left to score Hernandez, cutting the deficit to 4-3. However, Randal Grichuk struck out for the third time in the game and catcher Luke Maile flew out to left to end the threat.
Jays’ starter Aaron Sanchez pitched well in a losing effort, going six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits, while striking out two.
Sabathia went 4.1 innings before being replaced by righty Chad Green with one out and Steve Pearce on second. Green got Smoak to fly out to centre and struck out Solarte to end the inning.
Leading 3-2 in the seventh, New York slugger Aaron Judge went deep to left field off Toronto reliever Tyler Clippard to extend the Yanks’ lead to 4-2. It was Judge’s 61st homer in 199 career games, the fastest to 61 home runs in major league history. The record was previously held by Mark McGwire in 204 games.
Maile kept his hot streak alive, going 2-for4, including a two-out single in the fourth that tied the game 2-2. He has at least one hit in all seven of his games this season.
The Yanks drew first blood in the second inning, jumping ahead 2-0, when Tyler Wade hit a grounder to second to score Aaron Hicks from third. Earlier first baseman Neil Walker smashed a double off the right field wall, breaking a 0-for-16 hitting skid. After Wade’s hit, the ninth batter, Ronald Torreyes, hit a single just over the reach of shortstop Diaz to score Walker from third.
The Jays led off the third inning with backto-back singles by Maile and Devon Travis. With two out and Smoak at the plate, New York catcher Gary Sanchez was charged with a passed ball, allowing Maile to score.
New York jumped ahead again in the fifth when Didi Gregorius shot a single to right field to score Torreyes from third.