Toronto Blue Jays 2 — New York Yankees 3
Yankees complete the sweep on a former Blue Jays’ impact in today’s 3-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Phil Hughes started today’s game and came out with an outstanding slider. He started the first inning with a strikeout and struck out slugger Jose Bautista on a sharp biting slider to end the inning. Hughes would give up his first hit to the nine hitter in the third inning bu would rebound with a strikeout. A pair of singles in the fourth inning would put the small lead Hughes received in jeopardy. Adam Lind would single in a run to tie the game.
On Hughes’ last inning, the sixth inning, he faced some struggles. A leadoff double by Jose Bautista got on as the potential go-ahead run. Phil Hughes appeared to return to his reliever mindset and would strikeout the next two batters on his slider. Possibly after being burned by Adam Lind in the fourth inning, manager Joe Girardi had the Jays first baseman receive an intentional walk to face second baseman Maicer Izturis. Choosing to pitch to Izturis would come to hurt Hughes as he would nearly hit a home run but would settle for a double that put the Blue Jays ahead.
Phil Hughes finished with a season-high nine strikeouts in six innings. He allowed two runs on seven hits with a season-high 111 pitches.
2012 National League Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey would attempt to avoid the sweep. In the second inning, he would trail after Brennan Boesch hit a home run that barely cleared the wall, taking advantage of the short porch of Yankee Stadium. This was his second home run of the season. Dickey would go on to hold the Yankees off the scoreboard until the seventh inning, his final inning of the game. A leadoff single by Travis Hafner would be the tying run. But former Blue Jay Lyle Overbay wasn’t interested in tying the game with his former team. On a 1-1 count, Overbay took a Dickey knuckleball to the Yankees bullpen, into the glove of David Robertson, for a two-run home run to put the Yankees ahead.
The aforementioned David Robertson had been standing to warm up for the eighth inning, with the lead, it was the ideal spot to call on him. A quick seven-pitch inning that included a strikeout would be all Robertson needed to do to bridge the lead over to the great Mariano Rivera. Entering today’s game, Mariano Rivera was a perfect eight-for-eight in save opportunities and today was no different. With a fly out, a strikeout, and a ground out; Mariano Rivera notched his ninth save of the season and the fourth win in a row, sweeping the Blue Jays.
Ichiro’s five-game hitting streak came to an end today. Brennan Boesch and Lyle Overbay brought in all of the runs for the Yankees today, two pickups this offseason that didn’t have high expectations. For Phil Hughes, this was his second consecutive start without a home run allowed and third consecutive start with at least six innings and six strikeouts. Kevin Youkilis did not play today due to a stiff back that will receive an MRI tomorrow.
In the last five games, the Yankees managed to defeat last year’s Cy Young award winners, Price on 4/23 and R.A. Dickey today.
Win – Boone Logan (1-1)
Loss – R.A. Dickey (2-4)
Save – Mariano Rivera (9)
Notables
Blue Jays
*Adam Lind – 1 for 3, BB, RBI (3)
*Maicer Izturis – 1 for 4, 2B, RBI (4)
Yankees
*Lyle Overbay – 2 for 3, R, 2-Run Home Run (3) in the 7th, 2 RBI (11)
*Brennan Boesch – 1 for 3, R, Solo Home Run (2) in the 2nd, RBI (3)
Current Yankees Record: 15-9 (Streak – W4)
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