New York Yankees’ Miguel Andujar is congratulated by Aaron Hicks after hitting a grand slam in the seventh inning of a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre, in Toronto, on June 5, 2018.Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images
Marco Estrada cuts a sad figure of late in the Toronto Blue Jays clubhouse before he has to don his uniform, often padding around forlornly in one of those oversized blue terrycloth bathrobes that former fellow pitcher David Price bestowed on the team back in 2015.
Of course, those were heady times – for both Estrada and the Blue Jays, who were chasing down their first of back-to-back playoff appearances and the appetite for Major League Baseball in Canada was ravenous from coast to coast.
Back then, Estrada was a key component of Toronto’s success, a dependable starter, utilizing a devastating changeup and pin-point control to befuddle opposing batters.
This season, not so much.
In his 12th start of the season on Tuesday night at Rogers Centre against the New York Yankees, Estrada managed to shake off the demons of two previous porous outings to at least give the Blue Jays a fighting chance.
But his efforts were compromised by a leaky Toronto bullpen as the Yankees surged to a 7-2 victory before just over 29,000 spectators who were treated to a pretty good baseball game nonetheless.
“Marco was great, no doubt about it,” Toronto manager John Gibbons said after the game. “He pitched his butt off, it’s that simple.”
Estrada turned over a 1-0 lead with one on and nobody out in the top of the seventh to reliever Seung-hwan Oh, who served notice right away that this was not going to be his night.
Oh proceeded to hit Didi Gregorius with a pitch before walking the bases loaded with a free pass to Aaron Hicks.
With the Toronto faithful starting to grumble in discontent, Miguel Andujar then drilled a first-pitch offering from Oh into the second deck in left field for a grand slam and a 4-1 New York lead.
All Oh could do as Andujar made his way around the basepaths was twirl his glove in the air in disgust as the Blue Jays frittered away another lead.
“You never feel good in a tight ballgame, I don’t care who you’re facing, especially in this ballpark.” Gibbons said. “It got away from us, no doubt about that.
“We still like our team and we’re not playing particularly well, obviously.”
It was the first of a two-game mini series against the Yankees (39-18) who, along with the Boston Red Sox, are running roughshod over the A.L. East so far this season, and are neck and neck at the top of the standing.
As for the Blue Jays (26-34), coming off a tough 3-6 road trip, they are already teetering on the brink of being mere afterthoughts in the division with the season not even at the halfway point.
The Yankees didn’t even bother fielding their best starting lineup for the encounter, deciding to rest the big bat of Aaron Judge.
In his past outing on May 29 in Boston, Estrada tossed a season-low 3⅔ innings where he was shelled for four runs in what ultimately resulted in an 8-3 Red Sox victory.
It was Estrada’s fourth straight setback and he stumbled into Tuesday’s encounter having allowed 39 extra-base hits through 11 starts, the most in the major leagues.
Despite Estrada’s obvious struggles, Gibbons is a die-hard when it comes to his veteran players and continued to voice his support for his 34-year-old soft-tossing right-hander.
“No, not really,” Gibbons said before the game, when asked if Estrada is becoming a major concern to him. “You know Marco, generally he doesn’t go out there and get pounded. When he’s on, he’s really tough. Even when he’s off a little bit, he can keep you there or keep you within striking distance.
“I look forward to every time he goes out there to be honest with you.”
Gibbons liked what Estrada was delivering early in his start against the Yankees, using both his changeup and curveball effectively to harness the potent New York bats.
The Yankees scattered five hits through the first six innings of a run-less game and Estrada had struck out six after managing just two in his two previous outings combined.
New York starter CC Sabathia was also dealing, and when he struck out Devon Travis to begin the bottom of the sixth, he had retired 15 of the last 16 Toronto batters and allowed just one hit.
Teoscar Hernandez then stepped into the batter’s box and skied a 1-1 Sabathia offering to left field and the ball managed to stay just fair for a home run that provided Toronto with a 1-0 lead.
Sabathia would last seven innings, allowing two Toronto runs off three hits while striking out six.
Estrada came out to begin the seventh but was given the hook by Gibbons after he surrendered a leadoff single to Gary Sanchez.
On came Oh and the festive atmosphere within Rogers Centre quickly altered to a sense of foreboding after Andujar’s seventh home run of the season put the Blue Jays back on their heels.
Estrada’s final line was six-plus innings of work, getting charged with one of the New York runs off six hits while striking out six. He did not walk a batter.
Kevin Pillar restored some hope with a solo home run shot in the bottom of the frame, his fifth of the year.
That hope was shortlived after Hicks drove his sixth home run of the year, a three-run job off Aaron Loup, that put the game out of Toronto’s reach.