Tuesday night was not the night for the Blue Jays. After a four game weekend set that saw them net three wins against the lowly Minnesota Twins, the team came out flat to begin their series against the Yankees. R.A. Dickey was done in by some shoddy defense courtesy of Jose Bautista, but otherwise looked great until he seemed to hurt himself in the seventh inning while covering first base.
The offense continued to struggle, managing just two hits, while getting shutout by Nathan Eovaldi and the Yankees formidable bullpen. And while things have been bad, they may soon get worse, as Troy Tulowitzki left the game due to an injury to his right leg after he slid into second base while stealing a bag.
Top Play of the Game by WPA
R.A. Dickey was cruising along in the early going of the game when Carlos Beltran stepped up to the plate in the fourth inning. He quickly deposited a ball in the right field stands, doubling the Yankees run total to two, and increasing their win probability by 10.2 percentage points.
Bottom Play of the Game by WPA
Down 1-0 in the third inning, the Blue Jays put two runners on base to lead off the inning. After a failed bunt-for-hit attempt by Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion came to the plate trying to cash in at least one run with men at second and third. Alas, it was not meant to be, as Encarnacion went down swinging, ending what was the Blue Jays’ best chance at scoring, and lowering the Blue Jays’ win expectancy by nine percentage points.
Russell Martin Gets to Play the Infield
It’s no secret that Russell Martin enjoys playing in the infield when given the chance. However, probably not like he did tonight, as he had to come in after Darwin Barney was pinch hit for and Troy Tulowitzki left the game due to injury. Martin didn’t get to touch the ball, but there were some balls hit in his general direction while the shift was on. It was Martin’s fourth time playing on the infield with the Blue Jays, after playing second base twice in 2015 and third base earlier this season.
Trend to Watch
What is there to say about the offense at this point that hasn’t already been said? They continue to be otherworldly bad, and it just doesn’t seem like it will continue. Players don’t just fall off cliffs like this. Eventually the team will start to get runners in scoring position, and then actually drive them in instead of striking out. It’s bound to happen. It’s just a waiting game at this point, while the team continues to make adjustments until something clicks.
Up Next
The Blue Jays will look to get back on track on Wednesday with RHP Marco Estrada (1-2, 2.61) on the mound facing RHP Ivan Nova (3-1, 3.26). First pitch is set for 7:07 PM eastern at Yankee Stadium, and hopefully somebody has given the offense the right directions this time, so they’ll actually show up against Nova.
Lead Photo: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports