The AL leader in K-rate (11/9 ip) was a shadow of his former self today. Instead of the mid-90s heat he usually features, Brandon Morrow was frequently in the high-80s and topped out at 94 MPH. The guy that struck out 12 Yankees 10 days ago had his worst start of year, lasting just three innings and conceding five runs.
There are three reasons why his velocity would drop so much: 1) he is fatigued from the long season, 2) he's injured, or 3) he was purposely taking it easy because it was his final start. My money's on #3.
Ivan Nova didn't look great either, and was pulled two outs into the fifth. In his defense, the strike zone shifted as the game wore on. It went from being tight to loose and then tight again. There were several pitches I couldn't believe were called balls. Anyway, it's all part of the learning process he's going through. You have to love his confidence: he's not afraid to challenge hitters, works quickly, throws strikes and doesn't like being taken out.*
The biggest hits came off the bats of Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson, whose doubles in the early going gave the Yankees a comfortable lead. Each run scoring double followed a gutty, gritty walk. Does anyone think GGBG shouldn't be batting leadoff regularly?
A big honorable mention to the bullpen that held Toronto hit-less and scoreless the final 4.1 innings. Logan, D-Rob, Wood and Mo allowed four walks and K'ed five in the Yanks seventh straight win, tying their longest streak of the season.
Eduardo Nunez flashed some of that defense that made Baseball America name him the top defensive SS in the IL. His throwing still makes you hold your breath, but everything else is as good as advertised.
Play of the Game: Grandy's two-out, two-run double in the second (+16%).
Comment of the Game: nyyrocks29, because breaking up is hard to do.
* We're seeing a polished rookie pitcher. Nova's been fortunate, in a way, that he was never that highly touted - it allowed him to spend five months in Triple-A refining his game, a luxury never afforded to top prospects like Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, who have combined for less than half the Triple-A innings of Nova. We should remember that more often when watching them pitch.
(Please forgive the headline.)