Major League Baseball: Curtis Granderson’s superb knock guides the Yankees to their 7th straight win
The New York Yankees were playing hosts to the Toronto Blue Jays and the match was as important as any fixture. Only this time the World Series champions needed a win in every following game to keep the Tampa Bay Rays off their backs. Youngster Ivan Nova featured in the encounter to give the Yanks their seventh win in a row. He allowed 6 hits and 3 runs in his 4.2 innings of play.
The Toronto side were looking for a series win, having lost their previous game with the Tampa Bay Rays. Brandon Morrow featured this time and the expectation from the pitcher was high, in terms of deliverance. However, the peak performer was unable to extend his 5 games winning streak any further. He conceded 6 hits and 5 runs in his 3 innings of play. Compared to Ivan, his performance lacked substance and failed to impress fans.
The blue Jays were the first ones to open up their account in the match against the Yankees. They started their session on the batting plate and they scored in the top 1st through Travis Snider who has been batting efficiently, these days. The power hitter provided the visiting blue birds with an advantageous lead when he smashed Ivan Nova for a 403 feet home run, to the right. The Yanks however, were not completely out of their capacity respond and they retaliated in the bottom 1st with two runs. The first one came from Brett Gardner, who ran home off Mark Teixeira’s double to deep centre. The 2nd of the inning came when Curtis Granderson sprinted clear the last base off Robinson Cano’s out to first.
The match was now in the hands of the New York side and the advantage was rather extended in the following innings, as the Blue Jays failed to quell the not-so-tough Yankee attack. The Yanks were brought ahead of their opponents by two runs when in-form Granderson bashed a double to the right, and released Gardner and Austin Kearns for a marathon to the dugout.
Toronto was now 3 runs behind and Brandon Morrow’s night worsened as Jorge Posada scored off Ramiro Pena’s single to the left. The build up to the run saw Posada double to the second base through a hit on the right. He later moved on to the third base from Lance Berkman’s single to the right. The Yankees had climbed to 5 runs in the game and the task looked harder and harder for the Jays hitting faction to respond responsibly in the coming innings.
However, the top 4th saw a change in mentality as the blue birds scored their 2nd of the fixture through Lyle Overbay who ran two bases off Aaron Hill’s double to the deep right centre. The move brought the ball squad a respectable chasing target and morale was beginning to creep back into the hands of the batters. Hill provided proof of that in the same innings, when he cleared the last check point for the 3rd off John McDonald’s sacrifice fly hit to the right.
The deficit was down to 2 runs and the Toronto side needed do more to work their way back up. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen as the team were pulverized by a bottom 6th Yankee attack. The New York side were 1 man down and E Nunez had earlier singled to the shallow left. Brett Gardner came on to the plate and dealt a serious blow to the Jays and their reliever, Brian Tallet as he tripled to the deep right and got Nunez to the dugout with a run. The lead was back to 3 and the action did not end there as Granderson followed in the act.
The big swinger has been in good condition recently and his form took a toll on the Jays, as he got Gardner through to the last base to bring up the 7th run for the Yankees in dominating fashion. For what it was worth, the big striker of the ball smashed a double to the right for the score and this marked the last incident which involved scoring.
The Yankees won their first fixture against the Blue Jays, 7 – 3 and it only has to be seen if things can change for the worst in terms of the Yanks 7 straight game winning streak.
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