Game 127 Wrap-Up: NYY 5 TOR 3

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

With all due respect to the Dodgers, the Yankees have become the most exciting team in baseball in the last 2 weeks.  They've got the eye of the current steroid storm playing for them every night while holding the league trying to ban him for life at bay and trading barbs with his team in the media.  They've got the hottest power hitter in baseball in Alfonso Soriano.  They've got one of the best players in baseball in Robinson Cano playing like it again in the final 30-something games of his contract year.  They've got good pitchers pitching terribly, bad pitchers pitching well, Mo blowing 3 saves in a row then saving 2 games in a day, Ichiro reaching historic milestones.  They've got power, they've got speed, they can play some D every now and then, and they've got plenty of guys who can make you swing and miss.  And after this 4-game sweep of the Blue Jays, they're suddenly back in contention.

Game Notes:

- Very strong start to Andy Pettitte's night.  He allowed just 1 hit and 1 walk through 4 scoreless innings, and the only batter he failed to retire was Rajai Davis.  Davis bested him on 2 stolen base attempts, once because nobody was at second for a tag, but Andy was in control.

- He was matched by J.A. Happ, who retired the first turn through the lineup in order and worked around a double and a walk in the 4th.  It was Andy who blinked first, leaving a changeup up just enough that J.P. Arencibia could go down and hit for a home run to lead off the 5th inning.

- The Toronto lead didn't last long.  The Yankees struck back for 2 in the bottom half of the 5th thanks to a Curtis Granderson leadoff HR to match Arencibia and some shoddy umpiring.

- With the bases loaded and 1 out, Vernon Wells lined a ball to center that Rajai Davis appeared to catch.  Yankee runners got hung up when the ump ruled it not a catch, but Eduardo Nunez ran home in all the confusion and the run stood.  John Gibbons was understandably upset and was ejected.  Nice break for the Yanks.

- The Yanks plated 3 more the next inning on 3 straight walks, an Eduardo Nunez 2-run single, and a Chris Stewart RBI groundout.  Good to see the Yankee patience coming back.

- Shawn Kelley relieved Andy after 6 good innings and was a disaster.  He loaded the bases and gave up 2 runs to give the Jays late life in the 7th.  But the trio of Logan, Claiborne, and D-Rob was good after that, as D-Rob covered for Mo's day off again and closed out the sweep.


F*ck Yeahs:

- Pettitte: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K.  He left 1 changeup up to Arencibia and that was his biggest mistake.  Other than that, Andy did a very good job limiting damage yesterday on a day where his command still wasn't at its best.  1 run in 6 innings is a vast improvement from where he was a few starts ago, so no sense in nitpicking how he got there.

- Nunez: 1-2, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB.  It's not often old Scissorhands does enough in a game to merit being here, but yesterday was one of those days.  His 2-run single in the 6th brought home the winning run.

- C-Grand: 1-3, 1 HR, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 LOB.  Although in not as flashy a way as Soriano or Cano, Curtis has been quietly swinging the bat well since coming back.

Oh Nos:

- Cano: 0-4, 1 K, 3 LOB.  Hey!  Come on now, guy.  What happened to that blazing hot streak you were supposed to go on?

- Kelley: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB.  Couldn't locate his fastball at all and got knocked around.  He's been surprisingly consistent and surprisingly awesome since the first month of the season.  He's allowed a pass.

Next Up:

The Yanks head to Tampa for a crucial 3-game series this weekend.  They send their best to the mound in Hiroki Kuroda tonight to face Chris Archer.