Once again, the Yankees were on the wrong end of a blowout. They dropped Monday’s series opener to the Blue Jays by the score of 8-3, and the game wasn’t as close as the score indicates. Toronto scored the same number of runs in this game that they did during the entire three-game series in the Bronx last week.
Ace Eighth Starter Whitley
Well, it was bound to happen eventually, right? Chase Whitley had been a revelation for the Yankees coming into Monday’s start, pitching like a borderline ace on a strict pitch count. Then he allowed eight runs on eleven hits and three walks in 3.1 innings against the Blue Jays. It was seven-zip through two innings and ten of the first 15 batters Whitley faced recorded hits. Some were hit right on the screws, others were ground balls with eyes. All were hits and all led to runs. He was fooling no one.
The Blue Jays were the first team to see Whitley twice in his young MLB career — they faced him just last week, so it was a fresh look — and while that certainly may have contributed to the onslaught, Whitley made some truly some awful pitches. Everything was out over the heart of the plate, especially his changeup, and a changeup right down the middle is a batting practice fastball. Here are the locations of the hits allowed, courtesy of Brooks Baseball:
Everything was over the plate and great hitting team like Toronto will make pitchers with less than stellar stuff like Whitley pay when they’re not on the corners. He came into the game with a 2.56 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP on the season and left with a 4.07 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Statistical corrections aren’t always pretty. What can you do, sometimes pitchers get roughed up and that’s what happened to Whitley for the first time in his career. Welcome to the show, kid.
Garbage Time
The Blue Jays scored the same number of runs in the second inning (six) that the Yankees scored in their previous 34 innings before plating two meaningless runs in the ninth. I mean, Whitley could have twirled a gem and he still probably would have lost. All the run scoring hits by Yangervis Solarte and Kelly Johnson did in the ninth inning was pretty up the run differential. The club’s four base-runners in the ninth equaled their total from the first eight innings. Too little, too late. The game was over at that point.
Mark Teixeira hit a solo homer literally off the top of the center field wall in the fourth inning for what looked like was going to be their only run. At least he continues to swing the bat well. Brendan Ryan, Ichiro Suzuki, and Carlos Beltran also had hits while Brett Gardner and Frankie Cervelli drew the only walks. The Yankees didn’t have a runner reach second base until the ninth inning. This team is no fun to watch whenever Masahiro Tanaka or Dellin Betances are not on the mound. Joyless baseball.
Leftovers
Big ups to David Huff for soaking up 3.2 innings (61 pitches) in long relief despite throwing 25 pitches on Sunday and 20 pitches on Friday. He allowed two walks, one infield single, and zero runs. Huff helped move this game along. The pace was really dragging there for a while. Shawn Kelley struck out three and allowed an infield single in his inning of work. He looked way better than he had in any other outing since coming off the DL.
Ryan made a really nice defensive play in the seventh inning, ranging to his right and diving to snare a hard-hit ground ball. He turned around and fired a strike to first base to get the out despite being off balance. It was pretty rad. Ryan almost made another really nice play ranging to his left behind second base later in the inning, but the throw was off-line and pulled Teixeira off the bag.
The Yankees allowed at least eight runs for the third time in their last eight games. The good news is that the Yankees are getting blown out so regularly this month that eventually Joe Girardi will have no choice but to let Ichiro pitch.
Box Score, WPA Graph & Standings
For the box score and video highlights, head over to MLB.com. FanGraphs has some additional stats and ESPN has the up to the minute standings. The Orioles won, so the Yankees are now in sole possession of third place. They look the part.
Source: FanGraphs
Up Next
David Phelps and Mark Buehrle will be on the mound Tuesday night, in the second game of this three-game series. It would be nice if the Yankees were on the other end of a laugher for once.
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