Toronto’s last home sweep over NY came in September 2000. They’re also just 2-5 in their last seven games against AL East rivals, but are 7-2 in their last nine games versus a right-handed starter.
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On Monday, the Jays hammered Ivan Nova and his Yankees for eight hits in a 4-2 win. “I think everyone in here feels frustrated”.
Tanaka, 3-1, went six innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. He just keeps getting better and better. They had two at-bats with a runner in scoring position in the second inning and didn’t score.
Sanchez said his curveball was a key pitch in escaping those jams. After Gardner flied out to left, right-hander Jason Grilli replaced Sanchez to face Beltran.Grilli, acquired Tuesday in a trade with the Atlanta Braves, threw the ball into center for an error on a pickoff attempt at second, and Torreyes took third.
Gavin Floyd was originally warming for the setup eighth inning, but Aaron Loup took the mound with a large lead.
A tight pitching duel dominated the first half of the game with Sanchez and New York’s Masahiro Tanaka trading zeros over the first four innings until Donaldson’s RBI base hit in the fifth. He came in as one of four undefeated pitchers with at least 10 starts.
“Nothing changes for me”, Tanaka, through his translator, said of pitching with a nonexistent offense. “I was in some tough spots but I was able to grind through and keep the damage to a minimum”.
NOTES: Alex Rodriguez, who was booed loudly by the crowd of 39,512 each time he stepped into the batter’s box, hit his 545th career double off Sanchez in the fourth inning, passing Derek Jeter on the Yankees all-time list. 500 mark May 24. When things aren’t going well, it seems to really snowball and nearly be a little bit contagious.
Yankees: INF Dustin Ackley has a torn labrum in his right shoulder and may need surgery, manager Joe Girardi said. “We are capable of doing it but we aren’t doing it. You put the uniform on to win and not winning is no fun”.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Michael Saunders scored on a double play ball hit by Russell Martin to make it 2-0.
With the bases loaded, Edwin Encarnacion singled to centre off Kirby Yates, scoring Pillar and Darwin Barney.
The Yankees had chances against Toronto’s Aaron Sanchez, who improved to 5-1 by allowing seven hits and not issuing a walk in 6 ²/₃ innings. Beltran got ahead 2-and-0 and sent a 2-and-1 pitch to right for his second single of the night but McCann flied to right. CC Sabathia gave up two runs Tuesday in six-plus innings and inhaled a loss.
After the losing the first two games, the Yankees clinched their fifth consecutive series loss against the Blue Jays dating back to previous year. Yankees RHP Michael Pineda (2-6, 6.92) faces Tigers LHP Matt Boyd (0-0, 2.79) on Thursday in a makeup game in Detroit.
For the second straight game, the Yankees flushed a solid outing from a starter.
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Toronto (29-26) has an off day Thursday before beginning a three-game series against the division-leading Red Sox (32-21) at Boston’s Fenway Park. The last time the Jays won five straight series against the Yankees was a six-series streak spanning the 1992 and 1993 seasons.
