Blue Jays 6, Yankees 2: Yankee bats fall asleep again

New York had another night with little production from the pitching and even less from the offense. The Yankees only had five hits, two coming from Robinson Cano of course. Curtis Granderson, batting in the leadoff position again, homered in the sixth inning for the Yankees' first run.

The Yankees somehow managed two runs from this performance but it never seemed like the offense could do anymore. Granderson and Cano combined for three hits with two runs and only one runner left on base. The other eight hitters finished 2 for 22 with seven strikeouts. Vernon Wells added an RBI groundout in the ninth inning, the only good thing the middle of the order did. Wells, Lyle Overbay and Mark Reynolds finished the night 0 for 10 with three strikeouts and six men left on base.

Hiroki Kuroda dropped to 11-12 for the year, losing his last five decisions. Its the first time this season that Kuroda has been below .500 since April. His ERA is now the highest since his third start on April 13 at 3.19. Kuroda's night finished after six innings, giving up four earned runs on eight hits and four walks. His pitch count ended at 102, 28 of which came in the third inning, which gave the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead that would not be given up.

The bullpen continued their recent streak of decline. Joba Chamberlain came in to start the seventh inning because... well, no one really knows why. It took Joba all of 13 pitches to give up a leadoff walk to Munenori Kawasaki, followed by a single to Brett Lawrie and a three-run homer to Adam Lind, putting the game out of reach for a 2013 Yankees' offense. On the plus side, David Phelps threw a perfect eighth inning.

The Yankees finish the season with a 14-5 record against the Blue Jays, four of those losses coming in the last thirty days. New York may now be in a position where winning is their only option. The six games against the Giants and the Astros must be wins, leaving the three game series against the Rays vital to the Yankees' survival.