by Derek McAdam
April 17, 2024
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The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the New York Yankees a score of 5-4 last night, giving the Yankees their first series loss of the season.
Quick Stats: W: Yusei Kikuchi (1-1): 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
L: Carlos Rodon (1-1: 4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
S: Jordan Romano (1): 1 IP, 1 ER
The Big Story: The Yankees were looking to even the series at one win apiece, and jumped off to early lead in the 2nd when Jose Trevino knocked in Giancarlo Stanton on an RBI single to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. This was a gift for the Yankees, as Danny Jenson was unable to retrieve the ball at home, with a throw that easily beat Stanton to the plate.
However, Justin Turner hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 3rd to tie the game at 1-1. Just an inning later, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-run single to give the Blue Jays a lead at 3-1. The Blue Jays then added a couple of runs in the 6th, adding to their lead, which now stood at 5-1.
The Yankees managed to score a couple runs in the 7th to make the score 5-3. With runners on second and third with one out in the 9th, Jose Trevino grounded out to knock in a run, but Oswaldo Cabrera grounded out to end the game, with the Blue Jays winning 5-4.
Player of the Game: Kikuchi shut down the Yankees for the second time this season, and was a big factor in their win last night.
Notable Performances: Guerrero had a big hit for the Blue Jays, while Ernie Clement continues to hit the Yankees well. Verdugo was the only Yankee to have a multi-hit night. Gleyber Torres also scored two runs for the Yankees, and worked the only two walks for the entire team.
Better to Forget: Rodon wasn’t looking sharp last night. Not only did he lose control of the strike zone in several instances, but he also unable to give the Yankees some length and allowed many runners to reach base. It was a big step back from his start last week against the Miami Marlins.
My Take: The Yankees weren’t going to win every series this season, so this was just a moment that was waiting to happen. However, the Yankees have struggled to get runners on base this series and have also managed to be outworked by the Blue Jays’ offense; Toronto hitters are not only working counts, but they’re managing to get on base and score a few runs.
I would argue that this was Rodon’s worst start of the season, so far. He was unable to put hitters away quickly, and didn’t have great command of the strike zone. It is against a very good team, but I was hoping he could build on the momentum from the start against Miami.
For the Yankees, they need to go out Wednesday and play to avoid the sweep. Even though they will enjoy an off day on Thursday, it could help their momentum with a win as they head into the weekend series. It’s early in the season, and I don’t want to get too critical of the players, so I’ll save it for another day. Let’s just avoid the sweep, and move on to the next series. ‘
What’s Next? The Yankees will attempt to avoid the sweep today against the Blue Jays. Marcus Stroman will face his former team on Wednesday, while Kevin Gausman is set to go for the Blue Jays. First pitch is scheduled for 3:07 p.m. EST from the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
