The Blue Jays are obviously hoping for a similar result. That’s a sad comment on the state of this franchise since it won World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. You’d get somebody once every month or so asking: “‘What’s going on with the Blue Jays?'” said Locken. Toronto is an impressive 7-3 as the favorite over its last 10 games. The win snapped a five-game losing streak and sent the Yankees toward a pivotal weekend showdown in Toronto.
Advertisement
The current generation of Yankee stalwarts – Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia and Carlos Beltran – are all beyond the age of 35.
Another factor is wear-and-tear on the oldest lineup in baseball.
MINNEAPOLIS >> Mitch Moreland drove in four runs on a career-high four hits, including a two-run homer to help the Texas Rangers avoid a sweep at Minnesota and rally past the Twins. But in their 10 losses since that date, the Bombers had scored a grand total of 18 runs.
Pitching has not been a problem.
In Miami, closer Jeurys Familia finally got the last out and New York halted the Marlins’ furious six-run rally in the ninth inning.
“We’re number one” – even more so after the Jays beat the lowly Oakland A’s 4-2 in a victory that veered entertainingly between nail-biting and inevitable.
“We have had a chance to win a lot of the games we lost, ” said manager Joe Girardi. “I mean everybody has little minor aches and pains and everybody has dealt with some back issues”. Toronto has won seven of nine head-to-head meetings this year, but the mantra in the Blue Jays clubhouse is all about remaining consistent. “That’s going to be the case when you play 162 games in 180 days”. Davis wound up giving up two runs during the inning. Now the Blue Jays are the hunted, not the hunters. “I was commanding both sides of the plate with all the pitches, unfortunately the one cost us”. “But I don’t think that’s the end goal”.
Such behaviour is infuriating to some who say they’ve stuck with the team through thick and thin.
Estrada, a right-handed starter and former All-Western State Conference standout with the Vaqueros, has done his part in helping the Blue Jays in their quest to take over the top spot in the American League East.
Stuart Ashton, general manager of Montreal sports bar McLean’s Pub, said Jays games and players are enjoying unprecedented popularity among people who have good reason to hate the team. “We knew we were in a battle before today started and we’re still in it”. I pay attention to that stuff. Right now their roster is stronger than the Yankees, so unless something drastic happens, they are bound to run away with the division. Cleveland scored twice against Eovaldi in the bottom of the inning to make it 7-4, but Adam Warren came out of the bullpen and got Giovanny Urshela to ground into an inning-ending double play to stop the bleeding.
“Yeah, around the wrist”, said Buehrle. “I get some comments on the street too”. That same ticket has now climbed to $56, meaning just to get in to the stadium the price has more than quadrupled since the beginning of August.
Midday and midweek along the crowded concourses of the Rogers Centre, in the middle of a long winning streak that seems never-ending, that wave began to feel more like a tsunami.
Advertisement
“It’s fun”, he said. “Put me on record saying we’re not going to win the rest of the games here on out”.
