Last Updated on August 31, 2008 12:51 am by mark
Old Reliable
Problems with their own pitching have created the biggest obstacle for the New York Yankees as they’ve struggled to climb back into the playoff race.
Facing Roy Halladay so frequently certainly hasn’t helped.
Toronto’s ace will look for his fourth win of the season against New York when the Toronto Blue Jays play their final game at Yankee Stadium on Sunday.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made New York -115 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for today’s game, the over/under has been set at 8 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 66% of bets for this game have been placed on New York -115 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Roy Halladay (16-9, 2.69 ERA) has built a strong candidacy for his second AL Cy Young Award, leading the league in innings pitched and complete games while ranking third in strikeouts and ERA. He’s also tied for second in the AL in victories and has won his last three starts, improving to 8-3 with a 2.07 ERA in his last 11 outings.
The right-hander has been just as sharp against the Yankees. After losing to New York on opening day, he’s won three straight starts against his AL East rival, including a two-hit shutout on July 11.
Halladay allowed three runs and five hits in seven innings of a 14-3 win over the Yankees on Aug. 21, matching his season high with nine strikeouts and moving to 13-5 with a 2.88 ERA in 28 career starts versus New York.
"He’s not the best pitcher in the game for nothing," Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon said. "He’s not going to leave the ball in the middle of the plate, he’s not going to throw too many straight pitches. He’s so good. He’d be the ace on any team in the big leagues."
The Yankees (72-63) could certainly use him. While Carl Pavano pitched New York to a 2-1 win over Toronto on Friday, the club’s beleaguered staff struggled again on Saturday, blowing a late four-run lead in a 7-6 loss to the Blue Jays. A key error by Robinson Cano also led to the defeat.
"It’s real disappointing, but that was a game we needed to win," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "That’s an unfortunate loss for us, because that’s a game we have to win."
In their last 32 games, Yankees pitchers are 14-18 with a 5.63 ERA, with the team losing plenty of ground on Boston in the AL wild card race.
Surprisingly, Andy Pettitte (13-10, 4.37) has often been part of the problem. In his last six starts, the left-hander is 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA. He gave up six runs and 10 hits in 4 2-3 innings of a 7-3 loss to Boston on Tuesday.
"It was just one of those nights," Pettitte said. "I deserved to get booed."
Pettitte’s lone win in the past month came against Toronto, when he allowed one run in seven innings of a 5-1 victory on Aug. 20. He’s 17-10 with a 4.07 ERA in 35 career appearances versus the Blue Jays, but is 0-3 with a 5.90 ERA in seven starts against them at Yankee Stadium since 1999.
Toronto (69-66) had scored three total runs while losing three straight before Saturday’s victory, but the offense broke out for five runs in the seventh and eighth innings to erase a 6-2 deficit.
Vernon Wells homered to continue his hot hitting. The center fielder is 13-for-29 (.448) with five homers and 11 RBIs in his last seven games. He’s hitting .406 (13-for-32) in his career against Pettitte.
New York’s Alex Rodriguez has had a different sort of week, often drawing the ire of his own fans. In his last five contests, Rodriguez is 4-for-21 (.190) with six strikeouts and four ground-ball double plays. He hit into a double play with two on and nobody out in the ninth inning Saturday.
With a win on Sunday, Toronto would finish 100-124 at Yankee Stadium. Depending on how Baltimore fares in the final regular-season series in the ballpark from Sept. 19-21, the Blue Jays could finish with the best winning percentage there of any AL opponent.
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