Oh how sweet it would have been after last weekend to come right back and punch the Blue Jays in the mouth with a series sweep. But going on the road and taking two of three from the hottest team in baseball is a good thing no matter how you cut it up.
Severino was great again today. He was blowing his fastball by some of the best hitters in baseball all day long but was once again betrayed by his defense and lack of run support. Beltran losing the ball in the sun (error, double, whatever you want to call it) gave the Blue Jays an extra out in the 3rd and they took advantage. Donaldson RBI double and then a Bautista bomb. 3-0 Toronto. I'd like my pitcher to bare down there and pick up his defense but I'm not going to hold it against a 21-year-old rookie. If I could offer a slight critique of Severino I would say that while he most certainly does have a major league fastball, his slider and change-up need to develop. Both of those pitches got bashed for the biggest blows of the day and he's had trouble putting away hitters in his three starts with any pitch but his fastball. Other than that, there's so much to love and be excited about with this kid.
Today may have been a shitty way to end the series but there were so many positives to take from this weekend. First off, the Yanks went into Toronto and slayed the proverbial dragon. The Blue Jays were on a torrid pace and had become the trendy pick to win the world series and never lose a baseball game again. The Yanks came in, ended the winning streak and took back the division.
Secondly, Masahiro Tanaka earned his pinstripes on Saturday. In the biggest game of his major league career against the best lineup in baseball he went out and threw a masterpiece. And it was so much more than that. The bullpen was cooked. There was no Miller/Betances safety net waiting behind him and he went out and threw a complete game. Just an ace doing ace things. The bad news is the lineup is still struggling. Not quite as as mightily as they were heading into the series but they still haven't clicked. Price had his way with them on Friday while Marco Estrada and Drew Hutchinson were also for the most part able to suppress the offense.
Unfortunately the greatest culprit during this prolonged period of offensive futility has been Alex Rodriguez. You hate to call him out because he pretty much eclipsed his projected season home run and rbi totals by the all-star break but he's 2 for his last 26 and 7 for his last 46 without a home run since July 27th. When it comes to identifying what's wrong with the offense the easy target has been Ellsbury but now he's started to pick it up a bit. This hasn't been a jaw-dropping slump but it's the longest one A-Rod's experienced this year. He's been so consistent all season hitting in the 3 hole and now you're starting to see what this lineup looks like when he isn't performing. Now you have to start asking yourself is this just an extended slump or is A-Rod starting to wear down? If Beltran continues to rake does he slide into the 3 hole more often?
You have to feel good today even though the weekend ended on a sour note. Tomorrow starts a ten-game homestand. Twins for three, four against the Indians and then the Astros. Hopefully the offense can get a little more comfortable back at the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium and start to get rolling. If it does they'll have a great chance to pad their lead over the next ten days provided Toronto doesn't go on any more 11 game winning streaks.
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