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It has been a rough couple of days for the Yankees' offense, and today wasn't any better. Masahiro Tanaka wasn't perfect, but he kept the Yankees in the game and a two-run deficit shouldn't be too much to overcome, but it was today. The offense couldn't get anything going at the plate and the Yankees have now gone 26 innings without scoring a run.
The Blue Jays are known for their fearsome lineup, but Tanaka and the rest of the bullpen were able to limit the damage today. Toronto got on the board in the first inning when Josh Donaldson drilled a solo shot into the Yankees' bullpen. Jose Bautista tacked on the only other run of the day in the fourth inning, a home run to deep left. It was a quality start for Tanaka, who made it through six innings and notched five strikeouts. He was somewhat mysteriously pulled from the game after throwing 80 pitches and replaced by Adam Warren. It wasn't Warren's day, and he quickly worked his way into a bases-loaded, zero-outs jam. Justin Wilson induced two strikeouts and a pop up to end the inning without allowing a run to score. Branden Pinder and Chasen Shreve finished up the game without getting into trouble.
The Yankees' offense is clearly in a slump, and they didn't really have too many opportunities to score this game. In the third inning, Didi Gregorius led off with a base hit to left, and Stephen Drew lay down a sac bunt to get Gregorius into scoring position, but Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner couldn't get the run in. With one out in the fourth inning, Mark Teixeira and Brian McCann worked back-to-back walks, then Carlos Beltran grounded into a double play. They had another chance in the seventh when Beltran walked and Chase Headley singled to left, but Gregorius lined out and Drew struck out to end the inning.
This was certainly a frustrating series, from questionable decisions by Joe Girardi, to the offense doing absolutely nothing, but it's just one series. It's worth remembering that this is the first series the Yankees have lost since June. They're still in first place, though it is by a smaller margin now. Tomorrow is an off day, so the Yankees have a chance to shake it off before they hit the road for the rest of the week. Luis Severino will make his second start on Tuesday night against Cleveland's Carlos Carrasco at 7:10 EST.