Excellent bullpens are fun. It’s always a good time to watch a parade of excellent relievers lay waste to opposing lineups.
The problem is that excellent bullpens can’t be deployed every single day. They break if that happens. Because Michael Pineda’s start against the Blue Jays on Tuesday night was only the second start of the year by any Yankee that has lasted six innings, the bullpen has already had a fair amount of work. Johnny Barbato, Chasen Shreve, Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller all pitched in Monday’s victory. Perhaps that’s why Joe Girardi, with the Yankees trailing only by a run in the eighth inning, opted to have Ivan Nova face the heart of the Toronto order. The Jays scored the most runs in baseball in 2015. Nova pitched to a 5.07 ERA in 2015. The inning went exactly as one would expect.
Nova’s very first pitch was shot down the third base line by Josh Donaldson, and he advanced to third base when the second pitch went to the backstop. The Jays would tack on four runs, putting the game decidedly out of reach. Former Yankee farmhand and eminently fun switch-pitcher Pat Venditte quickly disposed of the Yankees, and Toronto won 7-2.
It’s a shame, because all things considered, Pineda pitched fairly well. He struck out six and allowed just five hits. He walked three men, but only two of the runs were earned. That’s a good job against the incredible Toronto offense. Unfortunately, it was all for naught. Ronald Torreyes, Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran all had multi-hit games, and Mark Teixeira contributed a solo blast. All in all it was a decent effort from the Yankee offense, considering that Jays starter J.A. Happ looked just as good as he did when Ray Searage worked his devil magic on him in Pittsburgh last year.
The Quote
“I just don’t like people in general.” – David Cone. Same, David. Same.
The Play: Ryan Goins doubles to left field, moving Justin Smoak to third in the fifth (.138 WPA)
Goins’ two-bagger put two men in scoring position, which came in handy when on the next play, Kevin Pillar reached on Ronald Torreyes’ throwing error and Smoak scored to take the lead. Goins scored on the next play when Donaldson hit into a double play.
Top Performers
Yankees – Ronald Torreyes (2-4, 1 run)
Blue Jays – Ryan Goins (3-4, 2 RBI, 1 run)
Notes
– Torreyes saw his batting average fall to a paltry .667. What a slacker!
– Alex Rodriguez is only hitting .136/.269/.273. It’s only seven games into the season, of course, but it could lead to some ugly narratives in the media if it continues for much longer.
– Kirby Yates threw a great inning of relief before Nova came in and gave the game away. He’s now struck out 5 of the 11 batters he’s faced thus far. He could be a nice find if he keeps pitching well, as consistent right-handed middle relievers were in short supply for the Yankees last year.
– Brian McCann told reporters after the game that he plans on playing tomorrow. He left Monday’s game after fouling a ball off his left big toe, which resulted in quite a bit of blood.
The Highlight: Teixeira clicks send
The Yankees were the ones that hit the ball over the fence in this game. The Jays were the ones that scored seven runs. That’s baseball, Suzyn. Mark Teixeira shot this one off the netting of the foul pole.
Up Next
Nathan Eovaldi and Marcus Stroman will square up in the rubber game tomorrow night. Same bat-place, same bat-time. Stroman has yet to have a bad game against the Yankees, and Eovaldi can get very hittable. That’ll be a good combination.