At least this loss didn't take long.

Rookie Ian Kennedy gave up only one hit through his seven innings of work and Johnny Damon lifted a game-tying homer in the sixth, but Frank Thomas singled home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth as the Jays trimmed the Yanks 2-1 on Thursday night.  The Jays averted the sweep and the contest took only 2 hours and 35 minutes to complete (mind-boggling for a Yankee game).

The loss snaps the Bombers seven-game winning streak and drops them 5.5 games behind the idle Red Sox and cuts their wild card lead over the Tigers to 3.5 games.

Ian Kennedy.  Kennedy was nearly perfect in his third start in pinstripes.  His breaking pitches were tight and he was painting the corners with his fastball.  He allowed only one hit -- an RBI double off the bat of Frank Thomas that Melky could/should have caught.  It's still too early to start getting giddy with rookie pitchers, but right now it looks like Kennedy has the stuff to be a quality starter in the bigs.  The only reason Kennedy is looking at a no decision is because the Yanks ran into a buzzsaw in Jays starter A.J. Burnett on Thursday.  Kennedy's impressive line: 7+ IP, 1 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 7 K. 

Johnny Damon.  Damon's solo shot in the sixth knotted the score at 1-1 and gave the Yanks life.  Too bad it was all the offense the Yankees would muster.  Johnny D was also involved in a strange scene after he caught the final out of the sixth.  A fan in the stands offered Damon a 20 dollar bill (Canadian) for the ball.  Damon made the transaction and then gave the loot to a kid who was sitting farther down the line.  Funny, but bizarre.  I also think the kid would have preferred the ball.  Anyhoo, Damon finished 1 for 4 with a run scored and the RBI.

The Bad:

Chris Britton.  Britton's assignment in the ninth was to get the game into extra innings.  He failed miserably.  Britton gave up a single on the first pitch he threw to Alex Rios and then allowed Rios to swipe second.  Frank Thomas then smacked a base hit up the middle on a 1-2 pitch that brought in the winning run.  Britton accomplished this in only five pitches.  Now that's economical.  Britton fell to 0-1 with this eyesore: 0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K.

Wilson Betemit.  Betemit gave Jason Giambi the night off at first base and probably wishes he hadn't.  He looked awful in his three at bats against the hard-throwing Burnett.  Betemit pulled off the hat trick on Thursday night as he struck out swinging not once, not twice, but thrice!  Tough night.  Betemit finished 0 for 3 with the three K's.

The Ugly:

Kyle Farnsworth.  Farnsworth was "unavailable" on Thursday due to a stiff neck.  Kyle, you've been pitching well lately, but you've earned my contempt once again.  A stiff neck?  That's like me calling out sick from work because I'm feeling tired.  Unacceptable!!  Not at this point in the season.  The Yanks could have really used Farnsworth (really) since Chamberlain was unavailable and Vizcaino (who looked great after missing over a week) pitched the eighth.  What's wrong with this guy?

Well, the Yanks now head to Beantown to take on the first-place BoSox for a three-game weekend set.  This latest loss puts a bit of a damper on the upcoming series, but the Bombers still have an outside chance to steal the division from their arch rivals.

Game 1 on Friday night will feature two pitchers heading in opposite directions.  Andy Pettitte (13-8, 3.78 ERA) is 8-2 with a 3.19 ERA in his last 10 starts and has been the Yankee stopper in the second half.  Meanwhile, Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka (14-12, 4.44 ERA) is 3-6 in his last 10 with a bloated 5.52 ERA.  Even worse, he's 1-4 with a gruesome 9.57 ERA in his last five starts.

Let the battle begin.