Blue Jays Capitalize on Vulnerable Yankee Pitching to Nab 7th Straight Win

The Jays worked 11 walks, took complete control in the late innings, and inched closer to a playoff spot with their seventh straight victory.

To win seven games in a row, sometimes things have to go your way.

Marcus Semien busted his butt to first base as his weak grounder bounded off the Yankee Stadium grass. New York shortstop Andrew Velazquez tried his best, but pulled the throw wide, and Semien advanced to second. The throwing error opened the door to the game's biggest moment. 

The next two batters of the seventh inning couldn't connect, but Teoscar Hernández eventually pushed an opposite field single past the diving second baseman to plate the deciding run in Wednesday's 6-3 win. 

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s ninth-inning home run—his 41st of the year—off Aroldis Chapman added an extra twist of the knife as the Blue Jays added some insurance runs to finish things off with a bang.

Jays reliever Adam Cimber, who diced the heart of the Yankees' order after entering in the seventh, said the mood in the clubhouse has shifted during the winning streak. 

"It's very relaxed. Surprisingly relaxed. Everybody's having fun," Cimber said. "I think a couple weeks ago, when we're grinding a little bit, it was a little bit more [like] guys pressing at every standpoint. 

"Now it just seems like everybody's having fun. We're just kind of letting loose and whatever happens happens."

The win elicited a sigh of relief, as Toronto had plenty of opportunities to score, yet initially failed to capitalize. Eventually, the club broke through, but patience was the name of the game early in this one. 

The Blue Jays worked a season-high 11 walks. Whether it was a four-pitch free pass or at-bats like Hernández's 13-pitch walk in the fifth, Toronto was very selective at the plate, and the approach paid off.

Make no mistake, New York's pitching was subpar, but Jays' hitters didn't chase either, which let the Yankees just dig themselves deeper and deeper in the hole. All that early work was important, too, as Toronto's initial lead evaporated when Brett Gardner connected on a three-run homer off starter Alek Manoah to tie things in the fifth. 

Manoah wasn't super sharp—he walked allowed three runs and walked three batters in his 5 2/3 innings of work—but he did just enough to keep Toronto in the game. His changeup command was a big part of that. 

"I think with a few aggressive hitters there, the changeup kind of kept them honest," Manoah said. "I was able to throw it more, I was able to keep it down in a good spot and was able to not get hurt with it.

"The confidence is definitely there with [the changeup]. There are some games where I just won't throw it, but that has nothing to do with the confidence, it just has to do with the situation. So, when the situation calls for it, I definitely feel like I can go into the bag of tricks with that one."

Wins come in all different sizes, and, while not leading from the get-go, baseball's most powerful offense stayed patient, and then attacked in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings to edge out a victory in a tight ballgame.

But that's what playoff teams do, they find ways to win. After securing three straight at Yankee Stadium to move within 1.5 games of the second AL wild-card, Toronto sure looks like a playoff team, and their ascent up the standings backs that up. 

"It's just one game at a time," manager Charlie Montoyo said. "That's really what it is."

"Again, pitching's keeping us in the games and our five starters are doing awesome, which means we have a chance to win every night. Now our offence is doing great, our defense is doing great, we're playing great baseball."