Brett Cecil Keeps Yank Bats Quiet

I tuned into the game when it was 1-0 for the Yankees, the bases were loaded, Arod was at the plate with Robby Cano and Jorge Posada behind him – and the were no outs. “Here we go again” I thought, growing tired of the latest stretch of games where it seems that a 1 or 2 run lead by an opponent seems more than enough to beat the Jays and their silent bats. It was then that I was reminded just how great the Jays can be, and how great they will become for years to come. Brett struck out Arod with a fastball up in the zone, proceeded to strike out the best hitter in the AL in Robinson Cano, and got Posada to end the inning with a grounder to Aaron Hill. I sat here as silent as the crowd was in NY at that point, wondering, how in the world did this young kid get the poise to create this kind of magic? I don’t have an answer to that question, but I will say that it is exactly what the Jays need and that it resulted in one of the most needed wins of the season.

I will say that the 6 walks in this one were a little disappointing, but the poise and tenacity Cecil showed when in trouble are so encouraging that I can discount them altogether.

AJ Burnett also had the Jays wondering how, or if, they’d score any runs in this one. It too all of the way into the 8th to get anything going, and thankfully it was Aaron Hill who managed to drive in the tying run. Nobody would have guessed at that point that the Jays would win it by 5, but they managed to take Robertson right out of it, making the pens the big difference in this one. The Jays got stellar outings from Camp, Frasor, Downs, and Gregg, while the Yanks got a blown save from Joba, the usual from Rivera, and then the loss from Robertson (4 ERs) as well as another run given up by Park.

That 3 of the runs the Jays got were driven in by Dewayne Wise does show some of the value someone with his experience has with the Jays. It’s hard to expect this type of performance from him regularly, but it shouldn’t surprise anyone when it does happen.

The Jays pull the Yanks back to 8 games ahead of them and are back over .500. Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow follow Cecil’s great performance. It would be nice to have the Jays go into the break with a sweep of the Yankees, but it may make AA’s job a little harder, as I’m certain he wants to wheel and deal.