Extra Inning Heartbreaker

David Phelps made a great start tonight for the Yankees, but was not able to get the win because Rafael Soriano blew the save in the ninth inning with two outs. With two men on base, Soriano gave up the go-ahead home run to Colby Rasmus that gave Toronto their first and permanent lead of the game. Soriano has done a great job for the Yankees before tonight and the blown save was the only the third by Soriano. Derek Jeter bailed him out temporarily when he tied the game in the bottom of the ninth with a solo shot to right field. In the eleventh inning, Derek Lowe threw the ball away past first base on a pick-off attempt and eventually the runner would score on a groundout. That would be the difference in the game and the Yankees lose a game to a terrible team when other teams close in the standings continue to win.

To continue with David Phelps, I get excited when he is starting because I know that that Phelps is capable of getting people out and providing the Yankees with a quality performance every time he takes the mound. In a way, Phelps has been the Yankees savior after Sabathia landed on the disabled list followed by Nova's DL stint. If Phelps continues to pitch the way he has been pitching lately, he will have a rotation spot come next spring. He is a valuable asset to the Yankees even though he throws 90-92 MPH. His ability to spot his pitches makes him a weapon because many young pitchers shy away from throwing strikes.

Robinson Cano had a breakout game tonight by hitting two home runs in his first two at-bats. With a hot hitting Cano, the Yankees can go a long way this season and in the future. Swisher hit his twentieth home run of the season, making this the eighth time in his career that Swisher hit at least twenty home runs in a season. Teixeira left the game after the fourth inning after he fouled a pitch off his left calf. He hobbled around the bases on a Russell Martin RBI single but left the game right after he scored. He will go for an MRI tonight but early reports state that he suffered a left calf contusion.

Tomorrow night, Ricky Romero will make the start for the Jays after the cancelled game in Baltimore on Sunday forced everyone in the rotation to move back a day. Phil Hughes looks for his thirteenth win against a struggling Toronto team that has been plagued by the injury bug.