The Toronto Blue Jays were powerless against the New York Yankees for the second straight game, falling 6-0 in another key battle for the league lead on Wednesday night at Rogers Centre.
This second setback in a row is problematic for John Schneider’s team, which is at the mercy of its pursuers in the American League. Before Wednesday’s games, Toronto (87-71) was just a game and a half ahead of the Houston Astros and two ahead of the Seattle Mariners.
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Aside from this struggle to prevail among drafted teams, the Jays’ offense once again showed a worrisome face. After the players had only managed to get to safety three times the day before, this time it was only two. They were both written by Brandon Belt.
Aaron Judge was missing from his team’s 2-0 win on Tuesday and had two home runs and four RBIs. His 36th long ball of the year was hit in the second inning by starter Jose Berrios and his 37th on a pitch by reliever Trevor Richards.
Small mistakes cost the local heroes dearly. Berrios struck out 10 Yankees in six innings, but the hits he allowed hurt. Giancarlo Stanton also scored with a hit for two runs in the fifth inning.
Gerrit Cole (15-4) played the entire game for the visitors. He struck out five players and reached the mark of 15 wins in a season for the fifth time.
This series ends on Thursday evening.
One throw is enough for Julien
When Édouard Julien finds a litter he likes, he lets him know. The Quebec native hit a home run on the Oakland Athletics’ first pitch in their 6-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.
As the first batter in his team’s rotation, Julien started the game with a bang. He sent the fastball right through Joey Estes’ home plate and into the right field stands. In addition to his 15th home run of the year, the second baseman also hit a single in four at-bats.
Ryan Jeffers also extended his arms for the Twins, finishing the game with three RBIs.