In yet another surprising turn of events, the Blue Jays (now 59-91) miraculously took two of three from the 98-53 Yankees this weekend, finishing off with a 4-2 record against New York and Boston this week. With timely hitting and (occasionally) flashy defence, the Blue Jays sharply manoeuvred their way through the iron wall that is the New York Yankees roster, despite having numerous players struggle heavily throughout.
Here’s a look at the good, the bad, and the weird from this weekend’s Yankees-Blue Jays series at Rogers Centre:
The Good
Bo Bichette (5-for-10, 3 R, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB) had himself another fantastic series, with Brandon Drury (3-for-8, 3 R, 2 2B) shockingly contributing offensively as well. Elsewhere in the lineup, Randal Grichuk (4-for-12, 3 R, 3 HR, 5 RBI) had a monster finale, and the duo of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (2-for-3, 2B) and Richard Urena (2-for-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI) was productive as well, despite Urena making a sloppy fielding error Sunday.
On the mound, Jason Adam (0.1 IP, H, 0 R/ER), Buddy Boshers (0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, BB), Wilmer Font (3.0 IP, H, R/ER, 4 SO, W), Sam Gaviglio (3.0 IP, H, 0 R/ER, 4 SO), and Ken Giles (2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, SO, SV) all pitched well in relief, while Derek Law (1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, SO) and Elvis Luciano (1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R/ER) were also solid, the ladder returning from a lengthy IL stint. T.J. Zeuch (5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 SO, W) also pitched quite well following the opener.
The Bad
Jacob Waguespack (3.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R/ER, 2 BB, L) had a rough go on Saturday, with Brock Stewart (2.0 IP, 5 H, 6 R/ER, 3 HR, BB, HB, 2 SO) also getting annihilated immediately after Waguespack departed.
At the dish, Jonathan Davis (0-for-3, BB, 2 SO), Derek Fisher (0-for-1, SO), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1-for-10, 3 SO), and Teoscar Hernandez (3-for-12, BB, 5 SO) all struggled, so too did Billy McKinney (2-for-8, R, RBI, BB, 3 SO), Justin Smoak (0-for-5, BB, IBB, SO), and Rowdy Tellez (1-for-7, R, 2 SO).
Of course, it’d be hard to speak of the series’ misfortunes without addressing the incredibly heartbreaking injury to left-handed reliever Tim Mayza, who will, per Charlie Montoyo, need to undergo Tommy John surgery. Righty Jordan Romano also left Saturday’s game with what is now being described as an ankle sprain.
The Weird
In a wild Friday night victory, the Blue Jays benefited heavily from a mental lapse on the part of Yankees reliever Adam Ottavino, who balked in the tying run in the seventh. Additionally, Rowdy Tellez’s removal from Friday’s game for not hustling and the numerous defensive gaffes in the outfield made this series extremely entertaining.
Looking Ahead
In dire need of some relief, the Blue Jays will head to Camden Yards Tuesday to face off against the 100-loss Orioles, who themselves are coming off a rocky set in Detroit.
Neither team has announced starters, though the O’s are likely to trot out some combination of Dylan Bundy (6-14, 4.99 ERA, 148 SO), Gabriel Ynoa (1-8, 5.74 ERA, 61 SO), and John Means (10-10, 3.47 ERA, 109 SO) to counter Toronto’s Clay Buchholz (1-5, 5.63 ERA, 25 SO), Anthony Kay (0-0, 6.30 ERA, 10 SO) and opener-starter combo Wilmer Font (3-4, 4.26 ERA, 82 SO) and Trent Thornton (5-9, 5.04 ERA, 134 SO).