Hard to score runs (and win) with two hits.
Joba Chamberlain gave up three runs and struck out nine, but Roy Halladay was masterful, spinning a two-hit shutout as the
Blue Jays blanked the Yanks 5-0 in Toronto. This one was over as soon as Lyle Overbay singled in the game's first run in the third inning. The Yankees best scoring opportunity came in the first when leadoff hitter Brett Gardner was drilled in the leg and then stole second with nobody out. But Derek Jeter grounded out to third and Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez went down on strikes to end the threat.
The Bombers have followed up their four-game winning streak with two straight losses. The offense continues to struggle (hell, Paul Maholm shut them down Thursday night in Pittsburgh. Who expected them to do anything against Halladay?) and it couldn't have come at a worse time. The first-place Rays have lost five games in a row, but the Yanks haven't been able to take advantage. Pity.
The Good:Alex Rodriguez. There was nothing good about this game, but I'll give A-Rod the nod because he recorded the first (and nearly only) base hit for the Yankees. Rodriguez's fourth-inning single broke a personal 1-for-14 slump and ruined what could have been a memorable night for Doc Halladay. Maybe this will get A-Rod started. Rodriguez finished 1 for 4.
The Bad:Billy Traber. There was no way the Yankees were coming back in this one (not with Halladay on the mound), but Traber ended any delusions in the eighth. Overbay doubled with one out and Matt Stairs followed with a two-run shot to right to give the Jays an insurmountable 5-0 lead. Traber, in theory, should be death on lefties with his unorthodox delivery, but it doesn't translate in this thing we call reality. Left-handers are batting .360 against Traber this season with two home runs. But Traber is holding righties to a .182 average. Go figure. Traber's night: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR.
The Ugly:Feeling blue. Don't get me wrong, I love the blue unis (and the old green and gold
Oakland A's uniforms). I grew up in a time when the
Royals,
Cardinals and
Phillies all sported the powder blue away digs, but I always thought Toronto had the worst of them. I never cared for the old Blue Jays logo and I don't understand why the numbers look the way they do. It always seemed a little half-ass to me.
Darrell Rasner (4-7, 4.94 ERA) will try and get the Yanks back on track Saturday afternoon and goes against Jesse Litsch (8-5, 4.01 ERA). Litsch had a fabulous May (4-0, 2.08 ERA), but he's fallen back to earth in the past six weeks. The Angels roughed him up for eight hits and six runs in 5 1/3 innings in his last start. The Yanks started Litsch's slide with a 5-1 victory against him on June 4. Rasner has also cooled off after a hot start. The Ras was 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA in May, but he's followed that up with a horrendous June (1-5, 6.47 ERA). Rasner was ripped for 10 hits and six runs in his last start against the Red Sox and has dropped three straight decisions. But on a brighter note, Rasner is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in one career start against the Blue Jays.
I'll take a repeat performance.
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