The LoHud Yankees Blog

Derek Jeter’s two-run home run was all the offense the Yankees could manage this afternoon in Toronto. Through 14 innings, the heart of order struggled time and time again until the Blue Jays at last walked off with a 3-2 win. Starter Andy Pettitte struck out a season-high 10 and the bullpen kept the game tied until Chad Gaudin allowed a one-out, one-run single to Aaron Hill.

Associated Press photo of Jeter’s home run

YANKEES (34-21)
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada DH
Francisco Cervelli C
Brett Gardner CF
Kevin Russo LF

LHP Andy Pettitte (7-1, 2.48)
Career vs. Blue Jays

BLUE JAYS (33-24)
Fred Lewis LF
Aaron Hill 2B
Adam Lind DH
Vernon Wells CF
Jose Bautista RF
Alex Gonzalez SS
Lyle Overbay 1B
John Buck C
Edwin Encarnacion 3B

LHP Ricky Romero (5-2, 3.14)
Career vs. Yankees

TIME/TV: 1:07 p.m. / YES Network

UMPIRES: HP Gary Darling, 1B Bruce Dreckman, 2B Paul Emmel, 3B Bill Hohn

WEATHER: The roof is open, so it’s obviously a nice day here in Toronto. Plenty of sunshine pouring into the stadium.

BIG SAMPLE SIZE: Most hitter vs. pitcher numbers are fairly meaningless because of small sample size, but Vernon Wells has 46 career at-bats against Andy Pettitte. That’s quite a bit, and he’s hit .348/.400/.500 in those at-bats.

AT THE TOP: Now that Ken Griffey Jr. has retired, the Yankees have both the active hits leader (Derek Jeter) and the active home runs leader (Alex Rodriguez). According to Elias, it’s the first time a team has had the active leaders in both since the 1995 Indians with Dave Winfield (3,110 hits) and Eddie Murray (479 HR).

MINOR NEWS: Hard-hitting third baseman Brandon Laird has been named the Eastern League Player of the Month for May. He batted .339 with nine doubles, one triple, six home runs and 33 RBI. The month included a walk-off home run, a franchise record seven RBI in one game and hitting for the cycle.

UPDATE, 1:14 p.m.: Randy Winn has signed with the Cardinals.

UPDATE, 1:20 p.m.: Pettitte starts the game by striking out the side. Pretty good, eh?

UPDATE, 1:40 p.m.: Wouldn’t you know it? Another Blue Jays home run, this one by Vernon Wells, has given Toronto a 1-0 lead. Wells has a 13-game hitting streak, the longest active streak in the majors.

UPDATE, 1:56 p.m.: Nick Swisher doubled, but Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez left him stranded here in the third inning. It’s still a 1-0 Blue Jays lead.

UPDATE, 2:00 p.m.: What a catch by Swisher. Seeing it live, without the help of a television camera, it was honestly hard to tell he had actually made the catch. Probably saved a triple, and maybe a run.

If I may… Right about now, one of my oldest friends, Megan Boyer, is getting married back home in Missouri. I texted her last night to tell her how sorry I am that I’m missing it, and I’ve been thinking about her most of the day. I couldn’t be happier for her, and I’m sure the city of Sikeston is in for a celebration like it’s never seen. Congratulations Megan!

UPDATE, 2:20 p.m.: Two can play this home run game. Jeter just went deep, a two-run home run to put the Yankees ahead, 2-1, in the fifth inning.

UPDATE, 2:52 p.m.: Another Blue Jays home run, this one from Alex Gonzalez, has tied the game at 2. Of course, a tough luck line out and double play didn’t help in the top of the seventh. Pettitte still looks dominant.

UPDATE, 3:06 p.m.: After a GIDP from Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees 3, 4 and 5 hitters are now 1-for-11 with five strikeouts this afternoon. We’re still tied at 2, and that’s a big reason why.

UPDATE, 3:12 p.m.: After back-to-back strikeouts, Pettitte is out of the game in the eighth inning, turning it over to Joba Chamberlain for at least the final out of the eighth. Pettitte was dealing, but as we mentioned earlier, Vernon Wells has a long track record of success against him. And Wells was already 1-for-2 with a walk and  a home run this afternoon.

UPDATE, 3:41 p.m.: Chamberlain got the Yankees through the ninth inning, striking out three and stranding two. We’re now into extra innings, with Curtis Granderson set to pinch hit for Kevin Russo.

UPDATE, 3:51 p.m.: That’s four straight strikeouts for Teixeira. Brutal day for him. We’re still tied with Damaso Marte coming in for the bottom of the 10th.

UPDATE, 3:57 p.m.: Another big time catch from Nick Swisher, this one saving Damaso Marte and getting the second out of the 10th inning. Dave Robertson is now in to face Vernon Wells with two outs and a runner at first.

UPDATE, 4:00 p.m.: Robertson gets a ground ball to get the Yankees out of trouble. We’re moving on to the 11th.

UPDATE, 4:15 p.m.: Since the eighth inning, John Buck has taken a foul ball to the crotch, broken a bat across his knee and very nearly won the game. He just flied out to deep, deep left field for the final out of the 11th inning. Here comes the 12th.

UPDATE, 4:20 p.m.: Brett Gardner has been on base four times today, including a one-out single here in the 12th.

UPDATE, 4:28 p.m.: Granderson smoked a ball that caught at the wall, Gardner stole second after 374 pick-off attempts, and Jeter wound up grounding out to end the inning and strand the go-ahead run. Chan Ho Park in for the bottom of the 12th.

UPDATE, 4:45 p.m.: Mark Teixeira has struck out five times in a game one other time in his career. It was in 2003, his rookie year.

UPDATE, 4:52 p.m.: The No. 3 hitters in this game have combined to go 0-for-12 with nine strikeouts.

UPDATE, 5:02 p.m.: Jorge Posada was 0-for-5 with three strikeouts before a one-out single in the 14th. Ramiro Pena has entered as a pinch runner.

UPDATE, 5:12 p.m.: Pena stole the base, but Gardner flied out to leave him stranded. And so the game continues. Chad Gaudin is now in to pitch. Assuming Sergio Mitre is not available, I’m pretty sure this will be Gaudin’s game until the Blue Jays win it or the Yankees take the lead.

UPDATE, 12:33 p.m.: The Yankees have decided to switch the batting order. The top six stay the same. Cervelli batting seventh, Gardner eighth, Russo ninth.

Joe Girardi said yesterday that he plans to keep Jorge Posada in the lineup more or less every day, and those starts are going to remain at designated hitter for the time being.

“We’re hoping that some time in the next week he might start to do some catching stuff,” Girardi said. “He’s probably going to have to catch in the bullpen. He’s going to have to throw to the bases. We’re going to have to do some blocking. It’s not like starting over, but it’s getting back to it.”

If Posada were still on the disabled list, this is the kind of thing that would be helped by a rehab assignment, but the Yankees didn’t want to keep Posada on the DL any longer than they had to. His bat was ready to go, and they wanted him in the lineup.

“You’d see how the foot would really react in certain situations (in a rehab),” Girardi said. “We wanted to get the bat back, and he was able to come back sooner than we thought so it’s worked out well for us, but we want to work him back to being a catcher.”

• The roof is open today, and it’s amazing what a difference it makes. Curtis Granderson said yesterday that he only remembers playing one game here with the roof open. “I think there are bad shadows,” Girardi said. “But it is nice to have fresh air.”

• Andy Pettitte has started six day games this season. He’s 6-0 with a 1.12 ERA. At night he’s 1-1 with a 4.68. “He’s always been that way so I can’t say, as you age you get up earlier,” Girardi said. “Some guys just like to get up and pitch.”

• Teams often rest players when they’re playing on this turf in Toronto, but Girardi said Monday’s offday might keep him from having to give anyone else a day off up here. There’s a chance he could stick with his regulars tomorrow.

• Not much of an update on Alfredo Aceves. “He’s still doing stabilization exercises,” Girardi said. “He’s not throwing yet.” There is still no timetable for his return, or even for him to resume throwing.

• Last night the Yankees were beaten by a young lefty with a good changeup. Today they face Ricky Romero, who’s a young lefty with a good changeup. “We’ve seen him a couple of times so our guys should know what to expect,” Girardi said.

• If you’re interested, here’s the game story and here’s the notebook from today’s newspaper.

• Blue Jays lineup

Fred Lewis LF
Aaron Hill 2B
Adam Lind DH
Vernon Wells CF
Jose Bautista RF
Alex Gonzalez SS
Lyle Overbay 1B
John Buck C
Edwin Encarnacion 3B

See, Girardi isn’t the only manager willing to start a catcher in a day game after a night game.

That’s an Associated Press photo of Posada and that’s my camera phone picture of the roof.

Marcus Thames has been scratched from the lineup because of a stiff neck. Kevin Russo will start in left field in his place.

Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada DH
Marcus Thames LF
Francisco Cervelli C
Brett Gardner CF

By the way, the clubhouse has been open for about a half an hour. Do far I’ve seen Damaso Marte, Chad Moeller and Chad Gaudin. That’s it. Optional BP today.

A.J. Burnett did little to hide his frustration tonight. He had allowed just four home runs through his first 11 starts this season. Tonight he allowed three.

“Fastball counts and they end up in the happy spot,” Burnett said. “That’s what they’re going to do with them.”

This Blue Jays team has proven it can hit home runs up and down the lineup, and no one in the major leagues has hit more than Jose Bautista. Even so, Burnett was frustrated because he didn’t pitch all that poorly except for the three home run balls. “My pitches pretty much stayed where I wanted them to expect for those three,” he said.

All three were fastballs that leaked over the middle of the plate, to nearly the exact same spot each time. Edwin Encarnacion’s home run was a two-seamer that didn’t get down enough, and Bautista’s second home run was a four-seamer that ran a little bit to the middle of the plate. But the one that bothered Burnett the most was Bautista’s solo shot in the second inning. With a full count, Burnett went two-seamer. He wishes he had gone four-seamer down and in.

“I think 3-2 in that situation, you’ve got to go four-seam,” he said. “If you miss off you walk him, but less chance of leaking over into the happy spot.”

That was his frustration. Three pitches left over the middle of the plate. Here’s Burnett talking about it postgame.

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• Robinson Cano’s 17-game hitting streak came to an end with an 0-for-4 that included two strikeouts against Blue Jays starter Brett Cecil. “It’s just weird because we lost the game, not because I went 0-for-4,” he said. “Just start a new one tomorrow. Today is already over and just move on.”

• Speaking of Cecil, that guy deserves a lot of credit tonight. This Yankees lineup came in hot and he shut them down with an especially good changeup that the Yankees were expecting based on their scouting reports. “Even if you know what a guy has, if he’s executing his pitches, that’s execution over selection,” Curtis Granderson said. At 23 years old, Cecil is the youngest player on this roster. He’s also 6-2 with a 3.43 ERA.

• Can’t leave out Sergio Mitre, who had another strong outing in relief. Granted, not a high-leverage situation, but for a guy who seemed like an afterthought heading into spring training, he’s done very well this season.

• Hold on to those World Series rings everyone. Here’s a rather bizarre story from the lower levels of the Yankees minor league system. Apparently the Staten Island pitching coach has lost his ring and believes it was stolen under … umm … interesting circumstances.

• The Rangers still owe Alex Rodriguez a lot of money, and he’s going to play a role in their bankruptcy case.

• For anyone guessing a lineup tomorrow, don’t forget that Girardi has indicated that he was likely sit Granderson and play Francisco Cervelli tomorrow. Just something to keep in mind.

Associated Press photos of Burnett and Jeter.

The picture says it all.

YANKEES (34-20)
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada DH
Marcus Thames LF
Curtis Granderson CF
Chad Moeller C

RHP A.J. Burnett (6-2, 3.28)
Career vs. Blue Jays

BLUE JAYS (31-24)
Fred Lewis LF
Aaron Hill 2B
Adam Lind DH
Vernon Wells CF
Jose Bautista RF
Alex Gonzalez SS
Lyle Overbay 1B
John Buck C
Edwin Encarnacion 3B

LHP Brett Cecil (5-2, 3.81)
Career vs. Yankees

TIME/TV: 7:05 p.m. / YES Network

UMPIRES: HP Bill Hohn, 1B Gary Darling, 2B Bruce Dreckman, 3B Paul Emmel

WEATHER: Domeish.

OWNED: No Blue Jays hitter has more career at-bats against A.J. Burnett than Lyle Overbay. In 17 at-bats, Overbay has one hit and nine strikeouts. That’s good for a .059 average. As a whole, the current Blue Jays have a career average of .211 against Burnett.

BETTER MATCHUPS: The Yankees have had considerably more success against Blue Jays starter Brett Cecil. No current Yankee has more than six at-bats against him, but as a team the current Yankees are hitting .519 in 27 career at-bats against Cecil.

MILESTONES: Robinson Cano needs one home run to reach 100 for his career… Chad Gaudin needs 10 strikeouts to reach 500… Alex Rodriguez needs one stolen base to reach 300… Jorge Posada needs one home run to reach 250.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Bench coach Tony Pena turned 53 today.

UPDATE, 7:25 p.m.: I think Curtis Granderson is going to be just fine. A great leaping catch at the wall robbed Adam Lind of a double here in the first inning.

UPDATE, 7:39 p.m.: Wouldn’t you know it, the Blue Jays just hit a home run. That was Jose Bautista’s 17th home run which — I kid you not — sets a new career high for home runs in a season. It’s June 4. Blue Jays lead 1-0.

UPDATE, 8:15 p.m.: If not for Jose Bautista, A.J. Burnett would be pitching a pretty good game. Bautista’s second home run of the night has given the Blue Jays a 3-0 lead in the fourth.

UPDATE, 8:35 p.m.: This is what the Blue Jays have done this season. Their rotation has pitched well and their lineup has hit a lot of home runs. A solo shot by Edwin Encarnacion has pushed their lead to 4-0, with starter Brett Cecil cruising so far.

UPDATE, 8:50 p.m.: Well, the Yankees got on the board, but they got there with Nick Swisher grounding into a double play with no outs and runners at the corners. It’s a 4-1 game.

UPDATE, 9:03 p.m.: With Burnett laboring through the sixth inning, Sergio Mitre is up in the Yankees bullpen.

Joe Girardi started his pregame media session with an unexpected announcement.

“Dave Eiland took a personal leave of absence,” Girardi said. “He’ll be gone as long as he needs. That’s all I’m going to share.”

Girardi wouldn’t say whether Eiland actually made the trip to Toronto before leaving the team. He was with the team yesterday and spoke to the media after CC Sabathia’s start. At the time, he was dressed for the team flight. Girardi indicated that this is a personal issue for Eiland, not a sign of a rift between the manager and his pitching coach.

“Everything is great between Dave and I,” Girardi said.

With Eiland away, Mike Harkey will step in as pitching coach. Charlie Wonsowicz, who is always with the Yankees as a scout and head video coordinator, will take over for Harkey as bullpen coach. Wons, as he’s called among the team, has spent 18 seasons in the Yankees organization and was a pitcher at St. John’s.

• Curtis Granderson gets the start tonight, then he will sit tomorrow. He’ll play again on Sunday and get Monday’s off day to rest. “Then I think he’s pretty much full go,” Girardi said.

• Jorge Posada still has not been cleared to begin catching drills. “I’ll continue to talk to Geno and our doctors,” Girardi said. “Hopefully it will be soon.”

• Francisco Cervelli just has a standard day off. Girardi didn’t want to play him in another day game after a night game, like he did earlier in the week. “You can either choose the day game or the night game,” Girardi said. “And I chose the day game.”

• Blue Jays lineup

Fred Lewis LF
Aaron Hill 2B
Adam Lind DH
Vernon Wells CF
Jose Bautista RF
Alex Gonzalez SS
Lyle Overbay 1B
John Buck C
Edwin Encarnacion 3B

Associated Press photo of Eiland during A.J. Burnett’s last start.

Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada DH
Marcus Thames LF
Curtis Granderson CF
Chad Moeller C