Traveling to Toronto, the New York Yankees garnered another series victory taking two of three from the Toronto Blue Jays. After a rough opening loss, the Bronx Bombers bounced back with some big bats and grind it out heroics.
GAME 1
This one got away from the Yankees in a hurry, as they fell to the Blue Jays 6-2. A poor outing from Sonny Gray, coupled with some squandered opportunities at the plate, made for a long evening.
WHAT’S THE DILL WITH PICKLES?
Gray was flat out awful, even on the road and in a stadium against a team which he typically excels. Lasting only two innings, Gray was all over the map. A three-run homer by Justin Smoak capped off a five-run second by the Blue Jays. It was another frustrating watch, to say the least.
STATE YOUR CASE BOONIE!
As the game moved to the third, the Yankees might’ve had a bigger inning from the start. Yet, Aaron Judge was hit by a pitch and while moving to avoid the Same Gaviglio offering, was called out on a third strike for “swinging.” I can’t count the number of times where Judge especially has been squeezed on strikes but Aaron Boone hasn’t run out and argued and defended him. Judge is your best player, the face of the franchise and it may or not be in his personality to get into a heated argument, so as his manager you have to get hot.
HICKS STAYS HOT
After Judge was sent back to the dugout, ensuing batter Aaron Hicks hammered a solo shot to center. Hicks’ 16th marked a career-high and got the Yankees on the board at 5-1 in the third.
STANTON’S SPOTTY SELECTION
A bases-loaded walk by Hicks chased Gaviglio in the fifth. Facing Joe Biagini with one out, Giancarlo Stanton ran the count to 3-0 but swung at ball four, ball five and took a third strike. Who knows if a four-pitch walk would’ve changed the momentum but it certainly allowed Toronto to breathe and escape without yielding any further damage.
HALE TAKES ONE FOR THE TEAM
David Hale, no not the former New Jersey Devils defenseman, looked at home in Canada. Taking one for the team, Hale provided the Yankees with 5.2 frames of one-run ball. His unfortunate “reward” was being DFA’d the following day.
GAME 2
With their ace on the bump, the New York offense jumped all over Toronto right from the start in an 8-5 victory.
HAPPLESSÂ WONDER
If that was an audition for J.A. Happ, it wasn’t at all inspiring. In the first inning, Brett Gardner and Aaron Judge clubbed two consecutive home runs to post the Bronx Bombers to a 2-0 advantage. Perhaps feeling the footsteps of Clint Frazier, Gardner put together a 2-for-5 afternoon with the home run, a two-run triple in the third, a walk, three-RBI and two runs scored.
Judge’s home run was No. 25 on the season, equaling Roger Maris’ franchise record of 25+ home runs prior to the All-Star break.
Later in the frame, the next man up in the search to fill in for Gleyber Torres, Brandon Drury dunked a two-run double over the head of Kevin Pillar, increasing the Yankees lead to 4-0.
In his 2.2 innings, Happ walked six, allowed six runs, yielded four hits, struck out five and gave up the two home runs. On the plus side, he wouldn’t have to face the Yankees if they did indeed trade for him.
SEVY GRINDS IT OUT
It wasn’t vintage Luis Severino but he helped the Yankees bounce back. Severino probably could’ve gone six but in his five frames, the New York ace fanned five, allowed three runs on five hits and two walks, along with two home runs.
CHAPMAN CRINGE
Aroldis Chapman had to leave the game with tendonitis in his left knee and was lifted from a game which he probably didn’t need to be pitching in, to begin with.
GAME 3
Raise your hand if you had a pitchers duel between rookies Domingo German and Ryan Borucki. As John Sterling would say, “you can’t predict baseball Suzyn.” Pitching out of jams and receiving a timely hit in extra innings, the Yankees earned a 2-1 win.
THAT’LL ANDU MIGUEL
Following a one-out single by Judge and a double to right by Stanton, Miguel Andujar grounded out to second to plate the Yankees first run of the afternoon.
DOMINGO ON DOMINGO
Domingo German battled on the bump, fanning five in six frames, yielding one run on four hits and two walks. Perhaps his biggest pitch of the day was a bases-loaded strikeout of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the fourth. German’s only blip on the radar was a solo home run to right by Kendrys Morales in the sixth.
PENNING IT TOGETHER
With Chapman unavailable, the rest of the Yankees bullpen stepped up. Adam Warren pitched around a double by Gurriel Jr. in the seventh, fanning Devon Travis, Teoscar Hernandez and getting Yangervis Solarte to pop out to retire the side.
After Warren’s two scoreless frames, Chad Green and David Robertson each worked a scoreless frame and clamped down the victory.
Yankees win, 2-1, in extra innings. pic.twitter.com/CxciT35adu
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) July 8, 2018
SMALL BALL
Facing ex-Yankee Tyler Clippard in the tenth, Greg Bird started the rally after being hit on the elbow. Pinch runner Tyler Wade was bunted over to second by Austin Romine. Turning the lineup around, Gardner served an RBI-double to left for the eventual winner.
Brett Gardner gives the Yankees the lead in the 10th inning. #GardyParty pic.twitter.com/llamJJMj4y
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) July 8, 2018
ON DECK
At 58-29, the Yankees travel to Baltimore to take on the Baltimore Orioles for a four-game series.
Pitching probables, CC Sabathia vs. Jimmy Jacabonis, Luis Cessa vs. Yefry Ramirez, Masahiro Tanaka vs. Andrew Cashner, Sonny Gray vs. Dylan Bundy.
