Robinson Cano hit his league-leading 8th home run off Toronto starter Ricky Romero (2-3), but Jose Bautista (who always hits the Yankees well) and J.P. Arencibia (never heard of him, a 25-year-old rookie from Miami, his name sounds like a disease) both homered off Freddy Garcia (1-1). John Rauch got his 5th save for the Jays.
Both teams left 11 men on base. In the 4th inning, after the Bautista homer made it 3-1 Jays, John Sterling said that it felt like the Jays had a lot more than 3 runs, due to all the men who'd already been on base.
But the Jays made enough of their men on base count. The Yankees didn't. Typical of this was the bottom of the 5th inning, when a Toronto error gave the Yankees bases loaded and nobody out. Mark Teixeira hit a soft liner to right that wasn't deep enough to score a run, and then Alex Rodriguez channeled not his 2009 self, which the Yankees really needed, but his 2007 self, and grounded into an easy double play. He also struck out with men on 1st and 3rd to end the bottom of the 8th. Sound familiar?
This isn't about whether A-Rod has proven himself to be "a clutch hitter." This was a team effort: The Yankees only lost by 2 runs last night, but they still stunk. About the only positive is that Derek Jeter got one more hit, to inch (and only inch) closer to 3,000. But that hit didn't drive in a run, so it was solely a self-improvement exercise. In other words, last night, both Jeter and A-Rod gave us what their respective detractors see in them, and not what their respective supporters see in them.
The bullpen was also a mixed bag. Garcia went only 5 innings, and in the 6th, David Robertson allowed the Arencibia homer for the 1st 2 runs he's allowed this season. But Buddy Carlyle, Joba Chamberlain and Boone Logan each pitched a scoreless inning, with only a hit allowed by Logan preventing a perfect last 3 (no walks by any of them), so that's something to build on.
Today, A.J. Burnett goes against Kyle Drabek, son of former Yankee pitcher Doug Drabek.
*
Last night, the Phillies scored 10 runs before the Mets finally got 3 in the top of the 9th. Met starter Mike Pelfrey needed his good-luck charm, me, and I was 70 miles away. He should have left me tickets at the will-call window at Citizens Bank Park.
And now, the Mets have to bat against Roy Halladay. This weekend just keeps gettin' better and better for New York's Other Team, doesn't it?
Fortunately for the Yankees, Boston and Tampa Bay also lost, although Baltimore won.
Jeter 2949 51
Rivera 567 34
A-Rod 618 145
Magic Number 136 (to eliminate Rays & O's, 135 for Jays, 134 for Scum)
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