Instead, Halladay gave the Blue Jays a dominant pitching performance Tuesday night to beat the Yankees, 5-1.
Halladay (7-1) scattered five hits through nine innings - his first complete game of the season - in the win. He had help from Scott Rolen, who finished with three hits and three RBI.
Halladay walked none and struck out five to win his fourth straight decision and his sixth in a row against the Yankees. With the win, the righthander moved to 16-5 lifetime against the Yankees. His 2.77 ERA against the Yankees ranks first among his other AL East opponents.
The Blue Jays broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning. Alex Rios led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a double, and Burnett (2-1) walked Vernon Wells and Adam Lind to load the bases for Rolen. The third baseman hit a double down the third base line, scoring two runs. Lind would score on a Rod Barajas single after Yankees catcher Kevin Cash couldn't handle the throw from rightfielder Melky Cabrera.
The Yankees finally cracked Halladay in the seventh inning. Johnny Damon hit a one-out double, ending Halladay's streak of 17 consecutive retired batters. Alex Rodriguez hit a two-out single to score Damon, bringing the Yankees to within 3-1.
But that was the closest the team would get.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Jays added two insurance runs. Aaron Hill stroked a 2-2 fastball for a solo home run, his ninth of the season, and Rolen singled in a run to stretch the lead to 5-1.
Burnett went 7 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits and five runs. He has not won since April 14.
Box Score
Gardner: 0-4
Damon: 2-4, 2B, R
Teixeira: 0-4, 2K's (his average dipped back to .190)
Rodriguez: 1-3, 1B, RBI
Matsui: 0-1 (left in the bottom of the fifth with a tightness in his right hamstring, listed as day-to-day)
Swisher (pinch hit for Matsui): 0-2, 2K's
Cano: 0-3
Cabrera: 1-3, 1B
Cash: 0-3, 1K
Pena: 1-3, 2B
Burnett: 7 2/3 IP, 7 HITS, 5 RUNS, 5 EARNED RUNS, 4 BB, 3 K's (110 pitches total - 66 went for strikes)
Veras: 1/3 IP, 1 HIT (allowed an inherited runner to score)
My Thoughts:
1. Can the Yankees just forfeit when Halladay pitches?
I don't think I've seen anyone dominate the Yankees more thoroughly or consistently than Halladay. It seems like this guy is consistently ready to pitch against the Yankees, and everyone struggles against him. Some guys just have a team's number, I guess. Anybody know how to make Halladay lose the Yankees? Maybe run it through the wash a few times or something.
2. The Injury List Grows Longer.
Derek Jeter was scratched before tonight's game with a strained oblique muscle, an injury he said has put him on the DL before. He's hoping to avoid it, and it sounds as if he's been resting for the past few days. However, I would be surprised to see him start tomorrow. It doesn't seem major, but the Yankees aren't going to look to rush him back quickly.
The Yanks also lost Hideki Matsui to a hamstring injury. While he's only their designated hitter, any prolonged time out of the lineup will hurt the Yankees. Granted, the guys not setting the world on fire, but he's a better option than what's available on the bench. It was interesting to note that the Yankees didn't call up a position player last week. Is Cashman kicking himself in the rear for that? A Juan Miranda/Todd Linden/John Rodriguez would be a good emergency start in the DH role, especially with Swisher's bat going very, very cold.
3. Some Encouragement With Burnett's Start
While we'd all love to see the guy win for once, I don't think tonight was terrible. He had a letdown in the eighth, but Burnett was economical throughout the game. In the fourth inning, he used thirty-something pitches, but other than that he worked quickly. However, the lack of strikeouts does surprise me. This guy struck out 231 batters last year, and so far this season has only punched out 36. Hopefully, Burnett can take some positives from this start and carry them over into his next one. If there's any encouraging signs, CC used two o.k. starts to set up his complete game dominance of the Orioles.
4. Can The Yankees Put Together A Win Streak?
It seems that every time the Yankees win a game, they find a way to lose their next. This past weekend, Phil Hughes gave up 8 runs in an inning. Tonight, they were thoroughly dominated by Halladay. The team has lost seven of their past nine games, and they sit 6 1/2 games behind Toronto for first place in the league. It's been almost demoralizing to watch the Yankees find ways to lose, and tonight's continued futility against Halladay probably frustrated a lot of fans (including me).
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