Blue Jays fail to complete series sweep in Bronx

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By no means did the Blue Jays scuttle their post-season aspirations, but at the same time, they didn’t bolster their chances.

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With nine games left, the push for the playoffs only intensifies as Toronto concludes the road portion of the regular season with a three-game series beginning Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays.

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On Thursday night in the Bronx, the Jays were reduced to pushovers by Yankees ace Gerrit Cole.

The Jays were eyeing a series sweep but instead were swept aside by Cole’s brilliance in a 5-3 win.

Toronto had no answer for the veteran righty, who was staked to an early 3-0 and never looked back as the Yankees turned back a Jays team that had won five in a row.

The Jays made it interesting in the ninth because the Yankees aren’t good and are too error-prone.

Alas, Toronto will need to settle with winning the series. They’ll enter Friday’s play holding the second wild-card slot by half a game.

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On Thursday night, the lone run the Jays scored with Cole on the mound came on a wild pitch in the eighth inning.

The Yankees pushed across just one run in the series opener and failed to exceed the total in the second meeting as the Jays would take the opening two games by a combined score of 13-2.

The New York offence was alive and well early in this one, however.

In New York’s first at-bats Thursday, the Yankees recorded three hits, the biggest produced by Jake Bauers, who took Jose Berrios deep into right field for a three-run homer. The Bauers blast was your typical no-doubter that landed in the second deck, coming after a soft flare into shallow right off the bat of leadoff hitter DJ LeMahieu.

It was also a typical Cole outing as he retired the Jays in order through the opening three innings, quite easily and rather routinely, it must be noted.

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Given the way Michael King pitched Wednesday in recording 13 strikeouts and yielding one run in seven complete innings, Cole was hard-pressed in trying to match King.

Turns out, Cole outdid him.

Outside of one pitch, Berrios was good, but the issue was Cole and how much better he pitched.

The Jays managed to get their first runner on base when Alejandro Kirk stroked a ball into right-centre with one out in the sixth inning for a double.

Berrios was relieved with two outs in the home half of the fifth inning after he gave up a double.

Tim Mayza entered the game and promptly gave up a double as the Yankees scored their fourth run, all charged to Berrios.

Cole went eight complete innings, an outing featuring nine strikeouts, two hits allowed, both doubles, and no walks.

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KNEE TO KNOW

There was good news on the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. front, a pretty durable player who was not in the starting lineup for the second consecutive night at a venue he relishes each time the Jays visit Yankee Stadium.

An MRI revealed no structural damage to Vlad Jr.’s right knee, but he is dealing with inflammation.

While he’s listed as day-to-day, manager John Schneider did tell reporters his all-star was available off the bench in the series finale.

Schneider turned to Vlad Jr. as a pinch hitter with one out and the bases loaded in the ninth inning.

He represented the tying run.

He grounded into a force out as one run would score.

Vlad Jr. has said the discomfort feels worse when he runs.

Naturally, a pinch runner came into the game for Vlad Jr.

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MANOAH MUSINGS

According to a report citing sources, Alek Manoah recently received multiple injections in his pitching arm and has been shut down for the season.

Until Manoah gives his side of the  story, which probably won’t happen until spring training 2024, any development must be taken with a grain of salt.

The Jays don’t need a starter with the regular season reduced to the final three series and they certainly don’t need Manoah, who has not thrown a pitch since an Aug. 10 home start against Cleveland.

Realistically and logically speaking, his time with the big-league club in 2023 was officially over once Manoah was demoted for the second time this season following his outing against the Guardians.

For Manoah, the bottom line remains unchanged, which is to say he needs to be in tip-top shape when pitchers report for spring training.

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DIE IS CAST

Hard-luck catcher Danny Jansen is out of a cast following a visit with his surgeon.

He’ll now sport a splint after Jansen fractured the middle finger in this throwing hand in Colorado when he took foul tip that effectively sidelined Jansen for the balance of the regular season.

It would be a long shot for Jansen to play in the post-season, assuming the Jays qualify for the wild card.

For now, he can begin the process of promoting mobility in his fingers.

CY OF RELIEF?

Cole has never copped a Cy Young Award, but he is the leading candidate among a 2023 group that features Kevin Gausman, who pitched six shutout innings in the Jays’ win Wednesday night.

Cole pitched twice against the Jays earlier in the season during a one-month span that began on April 22 and will likely make his fourth and final start against Toronto when the Yankees visit Rogers Centre next week.

In his two previous starts prior to Thursday, Cole did not yield a run in 11.2 innings, while giving up 11 hits.

During his career, Cole has twice placed second in voting for the Cy Young Award, including 2021 when Toronto’s Robbie Ray was named the AL’s top pitcher.

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