Disaster In Toronto Drops Yanks From 1st

The Yankees just got swept in a 4-game series, away to those pesky Toronto Blue Jays. Not good.

Carlos Rodón started the Monday night game, allowing 2 runs over 5 innings. Thanks in part to a home run by Jazz Chisholm, he left with a 3-1 lead over the Jays and their starter, "warrior god" Max Scherzer. But because Carlos Rodón had thrown 96 pitches, Aaron Boone wasn't allowed to leave him in, and he replaced him with Mark Leither Jr., who allowed 3 runs in the 6th.

The Yankees stranded a runner on 1st with 1 out in the 7th. Cody Bellinger led off the 8th with a home run, and the Yankees had men on 1st & 2nd with 1 out, but scored no more. They got a runner on with 2 out in the 9th, but couldn't get him home. Blue Jays 5, Yankees 4.

Since July 1 is Canada Day, a holiday, the Yankees had the dreaded day game after a night game. Since it was Canada Day, the Blue Jays wore red jerseys and caps instead of their traditional blue. Max Fried was strong for the 1st 3 innings, but allowed 2 home runs to score 4 in the 4th.

He got through the 6th, but, because he had thrown 99 pitches, Boone wasn't allowed to leave him in, and he replaced him with Luke Weaver, who got an out, then allowed a single and a walk. Having reached the 3-batter minimum, Boone took Weaver out, and put Leiter in. This is not a recommended way to run a pitching staff. Leiter allowed an RBI single and a grand slam.

Geoff Hartlieb made his Yankee debut. The righthander from the Chicago suburbs is 31. He made 14 major league appearances over the previous 4 seasons. His career ERA coming into this appearance was 7.47. And Brian Cashman thought him worthy of acquisition? He pitched 1 inning, and allowed 2 singles and 3 walks, 1 of those with the bases loaded, allowing the Jays to score 3 runs, and raising his career ERA -- in 1 inning, mind you -- by 0.15.

The Yankees scored a run in the 9th, but it was meaningless. Blue Jays 12, Yankees 5.

Will Warren started on Wednesday night. Boone decided to save his bullpen, so he left Warren in to be abused by the Toronto bats. Here's the 1st inning's abuse: Single, single, walk, 2-RBI single, 3-run home run, groundout, walk, 2-run home run, flyout, single, strikeout. 7-0 Toronto.

He only allowed 1 more run over the next 3 innings. Ian Hamilton went 2, allowing none; Tim Hill, 1 in 1. The Yankees mounted a grand comeback, scoring 6 runs in the 5th inning, thanks to Giancarlo Stanton finally hitting his 1st home run of the season. They scored a run in the 6th. The Jays scored a run in the 7th, but the Yankees scored 2 in the 8th, including a home run by Aaron Judge. It was 9-9.

But Devin Williams, originally intended as the closer, allowed 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th, and the Yankees went down meekly in the 9th. Blue Jays 11, Yankees 9.

Clarke Schmidt started on Thursday night. But he left due to "forearm stiffness" after 3 innings. Great, just what the Yankees needed: Another injury to a starting pitcher, one who already missed his 1st 3 starts of the season due to injury.

Clayton Beeter allowed 2 runs in 2 innings. George Springer hit a home run off Schmidt, and one off Beeter. Trent Grisham hit a home run, but it proved of no use. Blue Jays 8, Yankees 5.

With that game, the Blue Jays took over 1st place in the American League Eastern Division. The Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays are both one game behind them.

And now, the Yankees have to go to Flushing Meadow to play the Mets. And, with today being the 4th of July, it's another day game after a night game. Seems a fitting punishment for such a lousy performance in Toronto.

Yankees Make Balls Go, Domingo A-Go-Go, and Goodbye Joey Gallo

The Seattle Mariners had been the best team in baseball over the last few weeks, and have always given the Yankees trouble since they entered the American League in 1977. And with Domingo Germán as last night's starter, I was not optimistic.

Germán was fine, if not more than that: He went 5 innings, threw 90 pitches, and allowed 2 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. Ron Marinaccio, Aroldis Chapman, Jonathan Loáisiga and Wandy Peralta each pitched a scoreless inning, with the only baserunner being a single allowed by Chapman in the 7th, immediately turned into a double play.

As for the Yankee bats, they went to work right away. DJ LeMahieu led off the game with a single, followed by Aaron Judge with a double, and Anthony Rizzo with a home run. 3-0 New York. The Mariners hit a home run in the 2nd, but so did Judge, his 43rd of the season. Pace: 67. The Mariners scored again in the 4th, but so did the Yankees, on a home run by Jose Trevino. Trevino hit another homer in the 8th, to finish off the scoring.

Yankees 7, Mariners 2. WP: Germán (1-1). No save. LP: Marco Gonzales (6-11). The Yankees are the 1st team to 70 wins this season, and are 3 full games ahead of the Houston Astros for home-field advantage through the AL portion of the postseason.

Also, with today being the trading deadline, on top of the acquisitions of Frankie Montas, Lou Trivino and Scott Effross yesterday, the Yankees actually found a taker for Joey Gallo. And it's the team vying with them and the Astros for best record in baseball and thus home-field advantage all the way through the World Series: The Los Angeles Baseball Team.

(I've taken to calling them that, in "homage" to the NFL team formerly known as the Washington Football Team. As far as I'm concerned, the Dodgers died in Brooklyn in 1957. Cause of death: Greed, a case of domestic violence, murdered by their owner.)

The Yankees sent Gallo and his slash line of .159/.282/.339, and his OPS+ of 76, to L.A. for Clayton Beeter, a righthanded pitcher currently struggling in Double-A ball with the Tulsa Drillers. He'll be 24 in October. He may never throw a pitch in the major leagues. This sounds like a "my headache for your headache" trade. Or, for each team, "addition by subtraction." Or, as Hank Williams would have put it, "Goodbye, Joe, you gotta go, me-oh-my-oh."

The series with the Mariners continues tonight. Jameson Taillon starts against Logan Gilbert.

UPDATE: Right after I posted this, it was made public that the Yankees had traded starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder Harrison Bader. I don't know about this one...