BLUE JAYS VS. YANKEES
Jays’ four-game win streak ends in series opener in the Bronx.
Doubters are certain to point out that the Blue Jays have run up their glitzy early-season record against four sub-.500 teams. Sure, they faced the Yankees to open the season and had a rain-shortened, onegame series in Cleveland. Officially, the meaty part of the schedule began in the Bronx on Thursday at Yankee Stadium, the start of seven games against the AL East twin powers, the Yankees and Red Sox.
In the first of four games in New York, the Yankees kept the Jays hitters in the ballpark for a 4-3 win, with left-hander CC Sabathia making his first start back off the disabled list. The veteran lasted just 41⁄3 innings but the Yankee bullpen carried them the rest of the way, closed out by lefty Aroldis Chapman.
The Jays had their season-high, four-game winning streak snapped. They had not dropped a decision since April 11 at Baltimore. It was the first road game among seven in which the Jays had not homered.
The Yankees took an early lead against ace-in-waiting Aaron Sanchez in the second inning. The first run scored on a groundball by Tyler Wade, cashing Gary Sanchez, and the second came across on a bloop single by Ronald Torreyes.
The Jays responded in the third inning as red-hot Luke Maile raced home on a passed ball. The Jays tied it 2-2 in the fourth. Yangervis Solarte reached on an error by Torreyes at third base, with Maile cashing him on a seeing-eye groundball single to centre field.
Maile extended his hitting streak to seven games, with four straight multi-hit games. The RBI single in the fourth was his ninth straight hit with runners in scor- ing position. He came to the plate in the eighth with the bases loaded and flied out to left field ending the streak.
Sanchez threw 99 pitches over six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, with two walks and two strikeouts. It was his third straight quality start.
There was a Josh Donaldson update issued by the Jays in New York. The Bringer of Rain was eligible to return to the active roster on Saturday off of his bout with right shoulder inflammation, but will not. He has resumed a throwing program at the Jays training complex in Dunedin, Fla., and the Jays are hoping his return will be some time next week.
Just as DH Kendrys Morales is set to be activated on Friday from a strained right hamstring, the Jays were fortunate to avoid another key injury in the third inning, when second baseman Devon Travis fouled a ball off his left foot. Trainer Nikki Huffman came to check him out, Travis remained in the game.
The Yankees took the lead in the fifth on a groundball single by Didi Gregorius that scored Torreyes, who had walked. The Jays threatened to tie the game when they loaded the bases with nobody out in the eighth, but they were limited to one run on a Curtis Granderson pinch-hit single.