Bronx, N.Y., August 31, 2008 — One of the two good things that can be said about the Yankee 6-2 loss to Toronto Sunday afternoon is that for the most part it was over in the very first inning before fans had too much time to invest their dreams, screams, and hopes. Following a disturbing pattern established earlier in the week against Boston, Andy Pettitte walked one early, and the game went downhill from there.
On Tuesday, the Yankee lefty walked two with two down in the first; today he issued a free pass to leadoff man Marco Scutaro after being up 0-2 in the count. Knowing he had ace Doc Halladay warming in the pen, Jays Manager Cito Gaston went for the early score. David Eckstein bunted the Toronto second baseman over, Alex Rios delivered a run with a 1-1 single to left, and Vernon Wells followed with a one-base hit up the middle.
This one began in 80-degree temps beneath cloudless skies and a dazzling sun, which could have comforted the 50,000-plus holding their collective breath as the veteran Yankee southpaw sought to minimize the damage against one of baseball’s best. But cruel fate stepped in when catcher Rod Barajas lofted a high fly to deep left on a 1-2 count. Relatively new to one of baseball’s tougher sun fields, left fielder and ex-Pirate Xavier Nady charged the ball, thinking it would fall well in front of him. Suddenly realizing his mistake, he wheeled and backpedaled feverishly, but the ball bounded off the front of the warning track. By the time the dust cleared, Barajas stood on second, Rios and Wells had scored, and the Yanks were in a 3-0 hole.
Pettitte struck out two to hold the score there, but it quickly got worse, as oft-injured Toronto third baseman Scott Rolen homered leading off the second for a 4-0 bulge. Frustratingly, the Yanks were actually making Halladay look beatable, garnering a single in each of the first three frames, with Johnny Damon driving his pitch count up in an 11-pitch battle before reaching in the third. Halladay fell behind Alex Rodriguez 3-0 to start the fourth, and the Yankee power hitter homered to straightaway center. Nady and DH Hideki Matsui singled back-to-back one out later. Both runnners moved up a base on a passed ball as Robbie Cano struck out, but Jose Molina promptly lofted a soft popup to first to end the threat.
The Yanks wasted a leadoff Damon single in the fifth but Jason Giambi closed the gap to 4-2 starting the home sixth with a 10-pitch battle that culminated in a home run. But Halladay set down three, Pettitte surrendered two more runs on three straight hits in the top of the seventh, and the Jays had a 6-2 lead they would not relinquish. Lefty Scott Downs hit Rodriguez and Giambi (hmm, didn’t they both go yard?) with pitches in the eighth, but Nady, who had singled hard twice, bounced to third, and Matsui grounded out as well. Hard-throwing Brandon League finished up.
So, one good thing about this game was that things looked bleak early. No heartbreak finish like Saturday. But the even better thing about this contest was Mexican League recruit Alfredo Aceves, who came on to pitch the last two innings. He throws a fastball, slider, and perhaps a change of pace, but he opened eyes in the sun-dizzy crowd right away. In his major-league debut, he retired the last six Jays on 19 pitches, 17 of them strikes. Three went down swinging, and none hit the ball hard.
We’ve been hearing about Aceves up here for months now. The word has been that he can start, that he is no kid, that he knows both how to pitch and how to win. All one can hope is that Joe Girardi and the Yanks are serious when they say they are playing to catch the Wild Card, that they have not given up. Then give Alfredo the ball the next time Darrell Rasner’s turn in the rotation comes around. Rasner has been somewhat better of late perhaps. And Saturday’s collapse can’t be held against him. But his pitches do not turn heads.
Give Aceves a chance. It’s been a long year. Give us all one.
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!