Source: FanGraphs
The streak is dead, long live the streak. The Blue Jays beat the Yankees in Yankee Stadium on Saturday afternoon for the first time since August 2012, 17 games ago. Bad offense and bad defense were to blame for this one, if assigning blame is your thing. Let’s recap the 6-4 loss:
- Two Runs, One Swing: Despite putting two runners on base in the first and another on in the third, Drew Hutchison threw a total of 32 pitches in the first three innings. He started the sixth at only 75 pitches. The Yankees were hacking at everything, which they’ve been doing for a few weeks now. They got to him for two runs in the fourth — Carlos Beltran drew a four-pitch walk and Brian McCann hit a 1-1 pitch into the bullpen — but otherwise they only had one runner reach third base the rest of the game. Not the most inspiring afternoon from the offense.
- Quality Start: I don’t think we could have reasonably asked for anything better than two runs and six innings from Chris Capuano, right? He walked the tightrope all afternoon and I thought Joe Girardi was really tempting fate by sending back out for the sixth after allowing a bunch of hits and the two runs in the fifth, but he skated through that last inning. Four singles, four walks, one double, and one hit batsman is a lot of base-runners, but it worked. There are no style points with guys like Capuano. Outs are outs and he got them. Nice surprise.
- Five-Out Innings: It’s been a while since we’ve had a good infield derpfest. The Yankees gave the Blue Jays five outs in the seventh inning because they’re playing a catcher at first base and Brian Roberts in general. McCann fielded Dioner Navarro’s chopper at first, looked the runners back, but let Navarro run by to load the bases with no outs. Later in the inning, Matt Thornton jammed Dan Johnson, but the infield pop-up somehow fell in front of Roberts for an infield hit, scoring a run. It’s a play a big leaguer has to make, no doubt about it. The Jays only scored the one run in the inning, but New York’s always sketchy infield defense gave with two extra outs.
- Leftovers: Beltran hit a garbage time two-run homer in the ninth after Chase Whitley and Jeff Francis combined to allow three runs (Johnson homer) in the top half of the inning … Capuano hit Jose Bautista in the top of the first and Hutchison retaliated by plunked Beltran in the bottom half. Both benches were warned but nothing came of it … Chase Headley went 1-for-4 and bunted to beat the shift immediately following McCann’s homer. Michael Kay could hardly contain his excitement … Thornton got only his second and third swing and miss in his last eight appearances (51 total pitches).
MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs has some other stats, and ESPN has the updated standings. The Orioles are playing the Mariners this afternoon, so, depending on the outcome of that game, the Yankees will either be three games back of the AL East lead and a half-game up on the second wildcard spot (Mariners win) or four games back of the AL East lead and 1.5 games up on the second wildcard spot (Orioles win). Simple enough, right? Shane Greene and J.A. Happ will wrap up the series and the homestand on Sunday afternoon. Check out RAB Tickets if you want to catch that game live.
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