Yankees Score 8 Unanswered in Game 1 Victory

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

August 20^th, 2013

Toronto Blue Jays vs New York Yankees Post Game Recap Game 1

Final Score: Blue Jays 4 Yankees 8

The New York Yankees were able to start their four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays on a positive note, as they scored eight unanswered runs to take Game 1 of the double-header. The win moves the Yankees to (65-59), which is 7.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East, and six behind the two Wild Card spots.

Blue Jays Starter Esmil Rodgers once again didn’t look to good, but his bullpen also let him down a bit, as his struggles continued on Tuesday afternoon against a better Yankees lineup. Rodgers picked up his eighth loss of the season, as he went five innings allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks. The big blow off Rodgers came in the third inning, when Robinson Cano hit his 200^th career home run, which was a three-run home run. The final run that was charged to Rodgers was allowed by Neil Wagner, who struggled out of the bullpen, by allowing a walk to Jayson Nix, who was followed by Chris Stewart, and Stewart made Wagner pay by hitting a three-run home run for his fourth of the year.

It took Ivan Nova a few innings to get into his groove on Tuesday, but after a tough second inning he settled down, and with the run support the Yankees offense gave him, he was able to pick up his seventh win of the season. The only bad inning for Nova was the second, as after a single and hit by pitch, Maicer Izturis had a RBI single for the first run of the game. After a passed ball by Stewart, a ground-out by Kevin Pillar scored the second Blue Jays run. Davis then with two-out a two-run RBI double, which capped off the four-run second inning for Toronto. Nova finished going 6.1 innings allowing four runs on nine hits, and two walks. The New Ivan Nova was able to settle down after the tough inning keeping the Yankees in the game, which is another sign of improvement, as Nova earlier in this season and last year would have probably imploded.

The Yankees offense would get to the Blue Jays bullpen for some insurance runs in the later innings off of Thad Weber. Robinson Cano would cap of his four for four day with a RBI double in the seventh inning that scored Ichiro Suzuki, who will be entering Game 2 of the double-header with 3,999 professional hits. In the eighth inning the Yankees got one more run off Weber on a sac-fly by Brett Gardner, which let Jayson Nix score.

Game 2 of the double-header will have a pitching match-up of Phil Hughes (4-12, 4.97) facing off against Mark Buehrle (9-7, 4.29).