Outside of slugger Edwin Encarnacion, the Toronto Blue Jays lineup used by manager John Farrell today did not have much offensive prowess, so Yankee starter Phil Hughes was presented with a good chance to win. Not much was working for Hughes though, and he was slapped around for nine hits and seven earned runs in just four innings of work. The Blue Jays batted around in the fourth inning, scoring six of their seven runs against Hughes in the frame, highlighted by RBI doubles from human punchline Jeff Mathis and Rajai Davis (really) and a monster two-run homer by Encarnacion that hit the big Honda sign in left-center field. His 30th homer of the season made the score 7-0.
Hughes departed after the inning in favor of the recently-recalled Ryota Igarashi, who joined the team when CC Sabathia went on the Disabled List. Yankee manager Joe Girardi decided to bring Igarashi in rather than David Phelps, who he wanted to keep in the running for starting tomorrow's game against the Texas Rangers. It was a move in the idea of "sacrificing the battle to win the war," and Igarashi pitched about as well as 99% of fans expected. Toronto rallied for three more runs against him in the fifth inning, as Mathis, third baseman Yan Gomes, and shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria all scored on a three-run double by Davis, who did very mean things to the Yankees today. The score was Blue Jays 10, Yankees 1 entering the sixth inning.
Down nine runs with their win expectancy at 0.3% though, the Yankees made it interesting. Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano blasted homers against Toronto starter J.A. Happ. The former Phillies and Astros pitcher departed after Cano's prodigious two-run shot deep to the second deck in right-center field, but he fared pretty well against the Yankees, retiring 12 batters in a row at one point. The Yankees beat up on relievers Brad Lincoln and Darren Oliver in the seventh inning, courtesy of three doubles and a pair of singles. The three-run rally brought the score to 10-7, and Oliver loaded the bases with two outs for Andruw Jones. The big left fielder scorched a pitch down the third base line, but right to Gomes, who stepped on third base to end the inning. The game might have been closer, but Davis made an amazing leaping catch to scale the 10-foot wall in left field and rob Casey McGehee of a two-run homer. The Yankees went down in order in the eighth and ninth against Oliver and closer Casey Janssen.
Flying Falcor of the Day goes to Jeter (3-for-5, 2B, HR).
Kangaroo Kick of the Day goes to Hughes (4 IP, 9 H, 7 ER).