No lie - this loss is hard to swallow. A weekend series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays, the clear winner of the trade deadline sweepstakes, and the biggest threat in the division. Add to that the fact that they got a brilliant start from their pitcher. This was one game that the Yankees needed to win.
Nathan Eovaldi looked superb. In fact, this outing was his best start of the season. Facing the hottest hitting team in baseball right now, Eovaldi pitched into the 7th inning for only the second time in his last eight starts. His splitter was biting, and there were plenty of weak swings by the Blur Jays hitters. Eovaldi recorded 3 strikeouts and 10 ground outs compared to only 3 flyouts. Dellin Betances came in and held the line. With the bases loaded, he induced an inning-ending grounder from clutch hitter Josh Donaldson.
R.A. Dickey did his part keeping the Yankees bats quiet. Except for a Mark Teixeira home run which required a four-minute replay review, the Yankees were quiet for most of the night. Teixeira's home run was number 30 on the season. It gives Tex his 9th 30-HR season, only the fourth active player to reach that mark.
It was a 1-1 tie going into the 10th inning. Branden Pinder was brought in to face the heart of the Blue Jays order. He retired Josh Donaldson before Jose Bautista came to the plate. He hung a 1-2 off-speed pitch on the outside corner, right in the heart of Joey Bats' hot-hot zone, sending it almost 400 feet over the left field fence. That was the game, and now Toronto is 3.5 games behind the games.
The pressure rises on the Yankees, who send Ivan Nova tomorrow to face David Price tomorrow afternoon.
The pressure rises on the Yankees, who send Ivan Nova tomorrow to face David Price tomorrow afternoon.
--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon
My blog is: Shots from Murderer's Row
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