Source: FanGraphs
Make it 17 straight wins over the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees came back from a three-zip deficit on Friday night to win their fourth straight game and seventh in eight games since the All-Star break. I wouldn’t say they’re playing their best baseball of the season, but they’re definitely getting the results right now. Let’s recap the 6-4 win:
- Oh No Hiroki: A bloop, a chopper, a three-run homer. It was not a good start for Hiroki Kuroda, who gave up two cheap hits before Jose Bautista unloaded on a 3-0 fastball for a quick three-run bomb in the first inning. Bautista took him deep again in the third, though that was only a solo shot. Kuroda was definitely not sharp and, frankly, four runs in 5.2 innings feels like a bit of a miracle. He really had to grind all night.
- Death By Singles: The players change but the results do not. Mark Buehrle just can’t beat the Yankees. He started giving back that three-run lead in the second inning, when two singles (Brian McCann and Chase Headley) and a walk (Ichiro Suzuki) loaded the bases with no outs. Brian Roberts plated a run with an infield single, Brett Gardner another with a sac fly. They could have done some more damage but getting the two runs started the comeback.
- Two Dingers: After needing three singles and a walk (and a sac fly) to score two runs in the second inning, the Yankees dropped four runs on Buehrle with two homers in the third. Carlos Beltran hit a one-out solo shot and three batters later Ichiro Suzuki clubbed a three-run shot, his first of the year. Derek Jeter’s reaction was pretty great. McCann and Headley singled before Ichiro’s blast. Those two were the unsung offensive heroes. Ichiro’s dinger was unexpected, to say the least.
- Shutdown Bullpen: I don’t know how David Huff pitched his way into a setup role, but here we are. He retired two lefties and a switch-hitter before Shawn Kelley retired the only batter he faced, bridging the gap between Kuroda and Dellin Betances. Betances allowed a bloop double to center — Roberts couldn’t make the play doing back on the ball — but otherwise escaped the jam. David Robertson pitched around an infield hit that should have been an error on McCann for his 26th save. This bullpen is so great.
- Leftovers: Headley went 3-for-4 and is already paying major dividends. He did forget how many outs there were fifth though, getting picked off second when he started walking towards the dugout … Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury, the team’s two best hitters, where the only starters who failed to reach base … McCann and Frankie Cervelli each had two hits while Ichiro homered and walked … the Yankees hit two homers in a game for the first time in the second half.
MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs has some additional stats, and ESPN has the updated box score. The Orioles and Mariners are playing each other out in Seattle, so, depending on the outcome of that game, the Yankees will be either two games back of the top spot in the AL East and 0.5 games up on the second wildcard spot (Mariners win), or three games back of the top spot in the AL East and 1.5 games up on the second wildcard spot (Orioles win). Got all that? Chris Capuano will make his Yankees debut on Saturday afternoon against Drew Hutchison. Head over to RAB Tickets if you want to catch either of the two games left on the homestand.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.