Yankees Lose to Toronto 4-1 as Offensive Woes Continue
The Yankees played another one-run game Saturday and lost 4-1. This follows a 3-1 loss for the team last night. They are simply not scoring runs right now, but they are getting great pitching, so every game is low-scoring and close.
The Yankees got an early run to support Schlittler. A lot was said before the game about his struggles against the Blue Jays. They foul off a lot of his pitches and make him work. That may have been a bad omen for this game, but it worked out. Do you think the Yankees will fall out of a playoff spot before getting their injured players back?
Yankees and Toronto Game Summary August 15
The Yankees are in a tough strech right now. The team is injured and struggling to score runs. They lost 3-1 last night, the day after they lost 1-0. Here is how this game played out.
In the second inning, George Lombard Jr. singled, and Spencer Jones scored. He had stolen second base. The Yankees led 1-0. Then, like clockwork, in the third inning, Alejandro Kirk (again) singled, and Bret Bateman scored. That hit made the score 1-1.
In the seventh inning, Charles McAdoo doubled, and Ernie Clement scored. The score was 2-1 for the Blue Jays. In the eighth inning, McAdoo hit a single that scored Andres Fimenez. It was 3-1 for Toronto. Then Nathan Lukes grounded out, and Brandon Valenzuela scored. That made it 4-1 for Toronto.
Big Step For Aaron Judge
Aaron Judge played catch for the first time since he was injured. Judge played catch and ran on Friday. “I know he threw and ran yesterday,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Saturday from the visitors’ dugout at Rogers Centre. “Hopefully, [he’ll] continue to progress through this week and we’ll see what else gets introduced.”
Judge was cleared to participate in light baseball activities earlier this month, which explains the running and playing catch. The workout included outdoor running and upper-body resistance training. His scans at the time showed enough healing to begin the slow ramp-up. He is still likely to be out of the lineup for a while, as he has been sidelined since his last appearance on May 31.
Giancarlo Stanton also ran the bases again yesterday. He reported no issues and is likely much closer than Judge. The team needs these two big right-handed bats in the lineup. Their struggles to score runs date back to the injuries to Judge and Stanton. Cody Bellinger was catching fly balls before the games both yesterday and today.
In other injury news, Carlos Rodon threw 58 pitches in four and a third innings. He struck out seven batters. He seems ready. The team is undecided if Rodon needs another rehabilitation start. He could be back next week.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Yankees lost this game 4-1. The player of this game was Cam Schlittler, who pitched well but was unsupported. Amazingly, every game is like this. The team gets good pitching, but does not score any runs. He was not that economical and pitched five and a third innings. He uncharacteristically walked three batters. However, he did strike out seven batters. He allowed just one run, and he surrendered four hits. This result is much better than he has fared against Toronto in the past. These teams conclude their three-game series tomorrow at 1:37 pm. Dylan Cease is pitching for the Blue Jays. He and Schlittler are the two leading candidates for the American League Cy Young Award.
Conclusion
With games for the Yankees being so close, the little things matter a lot. So the blunders (base running and defense) from last night are glaring. The team has had all three of its big starting pitchers, and Ryan Weathers, pitch well recently, but they have lost all those games. The games they play now are all nail-biters. It will be interesting to see if this team falls out of a playoff position before its injured starters get back. It will also be interesting to see if the theory of them being on the shelf means they are rested and will play well when they return.
