Yankees Game 153: Tough loss to end the series

(Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

New York Yankees 2 -- Toronto Blue Jays 6

Hiroki Kuroda endured through tough innings but a questionable relief choice proved costly in tonight's 6-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

The game didn't start too well for Hiroki Kuroda. Jose Reyes and Munenori Kawasaki got on with a pair of singles. Brett Lawrie would ground into a force out that put Reyes on third and Lawrie on first base. Then, on a ground ball to Adam Lind, something unusual happened.

On the ground ball back to Kuroda, he threw home to catcher Chris Stewart, Reyes was stranded between third and home. Brett Lawrie was coming from first and reached third base. Stewart threw it to Reynolds and then it gets a little complicated. Jose Reyes was initially on third base so when he touches third base, it is his base. Brett Lawrie is touching third base but because it is Reyes' base, Lawrie can be tagged out despite touching it. When Reyes returned to third base, he also came off the base. Reynolds tagged Lawrie and Reyes and they are both out for a very unconventional 1-2-5 double play.

In the second inning, Alfonso Soriano would have a lapse in judgment when he hit a single to left field. He tried to stretch it into two and would be tagged out at second. Vernon Wells would walk but Lyle Overbay quickly killed the rally, grounding into a first-pitch 3-6-1 double play.

Hiroki Kuroda found himself in trouble again when he started the second inning with a walk of Colby Rasmus and a single by Moises Sierra. Ryan Goins would strike out and J.P. Arencibia grounded into a 5-3 double play. Two innings already featured three double plays and none of them were conventional.

Kuroda's dance along the fine line of success despite struggle would end in the third inning. Anthony Gose would lead off the inning with a single. Jose Reyes would plate the first run when he hit a double into right center field. Kawasaki would sacrifice Reyes to third and Brett Lawrie would ground out to bring home Reyes. Adam Lind would single, Rasmus and Sierra would walk to load the bases. But Ryan Goins struck out, stranding three and minimizing the damage to just two.

After a little difficulty in the fourth inning, Kuroda would retire the next five, four on strikeouts. Anthony Gose would get Kuroda for a solo home run and the lead increased to three. In six innings, Hiroki Kuroda allowed three runs on eight hits while walking four and striking out seven. Considering the number of jams Kuroda found himself in, the start could have gone much worse than it did.

In the sixth inning, Curtis Granderson would get into the deficit with a solo home run. It made it a 3-1 game and Joe Girardi decided Kuroda got them six quality innings and wanted to turn to the bullpen.

The first pitcher out of the bullpen, questionably, was Joba Chamberlain.

Chamberlain entered the game with a 4.32 ERA so the decision looked bad. It would become as bad as expected too. The seventh inning started with a walk of Munenori Kawasaki. Brett Lawrie would follow with a single and Adam Lind hit a deflating three-run home run to give the Blue Jays a six-run lead. Cesar Cabral would come in to strike out Colby Rasmus and Ryan Goins. He walked Moises Sierra but Matt Daley would be called on to get out Arencibia. The decision to bring in Joba Chamberlain is questioned heavily and leaving him in to face left-handed Lind also seemed questionable when Cabral followed him to face Colby Rasmus, another left-handed bat.

The Yankees would score one run in the ninth inning but the frustrating decision to bring in Joba Chamberlain makes the postseason aspirations look more distant. The offense has also been very absent besides one inning in the series.

Win - Todd Redmond (4-2)

Loss - Hiroki Kuroda (11-12)

Save - Casey Janssen (32)

Notables

Yankees

*Curtis Granderson - 1 for 4, R, Solo Home Run (7) in the 6th, RBI (14)

*Robinson Cano - 2 for 4, 2B

Blue Jays

*Adam Lind - 2 for 4, R, 3-Run Home Run (22) in the 7th, 3 RBI (61)

*Anthony Gose - 3 for 4, 2 R, 2B, Solo Home Run (2) in the 6th, RBI (9)

Current Yankees Record: 80-73

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