“He was dominating. Really, that’s as good as I’ve seen him”.
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This time, the Yankees had a runner in scoring position only once in the first seven innings, and he was left stranded by three straight outs by the Nos.
It’s been a fun ride, one that has energized the fan base to the point where the Blue Jays lead the American League in attendance.
Dexter Fowler finished a home run shy of the cycle, Ben Zobrist had a two-run triple and Willson Contreras homered in the ninth for the Cubs, who are 3-6 at home against St. Louis and 53-17 against other teams.
The Yankees helped make the wild-card race that much closer September 5-7 when they swept three games from the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. “We didn’t have too many opportunities today”. “That happens, but you’ve still got to finish them off. Robbie had a nice at bat”.
For the Yankees’ offense, though, scoreless innings have become commonplace. In an effort to alleviate traffic, police suggest taking public transit, carpooling, and to consider avoiding the Rogers Centre area if you are not attending the game. “It was a big moment”.
The Jays led 3-0 after two innings, adding four more in the seventh and two in the eighth as they had their way with the Yankees bullpen. I was behind in the count, I was simply trying to put the ball in play.
“I was aggressive”, Stroman said. His ball has some run. “Forget about that. Just go out and do what you’re capable of”.
Seattle shortstop Mike Freeman prevented the go-ahead run from scoring in the 10th with a diving grab of Kevin Pillar’s one-out liner with a runner on third.
Should that turn into the Jays’ ticket into the post-season, Gibbons said home-field advantage would be a definite plus, given the support at the Rogers Centre. Just 2.5 games back with 10 games left to go in the season!
Both starting pitchers were outstanding.
After getting off to a rocky start, Bryan Mitchell held the Blue Jays to three runs over six innings, but Toronto’s pitching staff made the three early runs stand up easily.
Blake Parker replaced Mitchell in bottom of the seventh and allowed a leadoff bunt single to Ezequiel Carrera. The 25-year-old righthander allowed one hit and three walks and struck out five.
Toronto: The Jays are a flawed team, and one that’s not stronger than any of the division leaders, but they have the potential to come to life demonstratively in the postseason. Do I feel better physically? Yes.
On Saturday, it was Stroman toeing the line with one of his best outings of his career, with able assistance from Grilli and then Bautista, with another clutch home run, which made the difference. As for Happ and Porcello, the latter’s numbers, especially as they relate to ERA, WHIP, innings pitched, and complete games, are slightly superior to those of J.A. Happ.
Jose Bautista hit a three-run homer off Tyler Clippard in the eighth inning Saturday and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Yankees, 3-0.
The Yankees are four games behind Detroit for the second wild care with nine games left. The Jays, who left nine men on base, outhit NY 13-3.
So Wednesday’s matinee against the Mariners in Seattle? Whoever takes the mound will have to perform well to keep NY in the game, going against J.A. Happ.
This series between American League East rivals could help sort out a tight wild-card race. As the game of baseball dictates, tomorrow is another day that has little to nothing to do with tonight. Pineda has pitched his way to a 3.00 ERA for the month of September, but in three out of his four starts he pitched less than five innings, leaving him ineligible for a notch in the win column.
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“I’m happy for him, ” Mariners manager Scott Servais said.
