Blue Jays 8 – Yankees 1
TORONTO – Better. Not great. But good enough to stay in the rotation.
That’s the best way to describe David Wells’ outing against the Blue Jays yesterday at SkyDome where Roy Halladay easily out-pitched Wells and sent the Yankees to an 8-1 loss in front of 26,869.
It was Wells’ first appearance since Mel Stottlemyre questioned his in-between starts work ethic last Wednesday after the White Sox punished Wells for 10 runs and 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Yesterday, Wells gave up five runs and nine hits in seven frames and absorbed his third straight loss, dropping his record to 12-6. Wells, who called Joe Torre and Stottlemyre “petty” in a radio interview last week, hasn’t won since beating the Indians July 19.
“He will start Sunday [against the Red Sox],” Torre said. “I thought he was better today.”
Wells needed to be a lot better than he was to stay with Halladay, who dominated a Yankees lineup that was without Derek Jeter (rib cage problem) and Jorge Posada (day off) and included a stone-cold Jason Giambi (0-for-24), an over-matched Juan Rivera and a team that could have been spent after an emotional weekend in Boston to post his fifth complete game.
“He was sinking it, cutting it and keeping it down,” Nick Johnson said. “That was very good.”
Combined with the Red Sox beating the Phillies, the loss reduced the Yankees’ AL East lead to 4 ½ games.
Halladay improved to 18-6 and tied Chicago’s Esteban Loaiza for the AL lead in wins. He gave up four hits and none of them was hit hard.
Alfonso Soriano started the game with a bunt single, stole second and scored on Johnson’s ground ball over the third base bag. Johnson was out trying to stretch it into a double and that was the last time the Yankees threatened until Bernie Williams’ soft ground-rule double inside of first base. Halladay never let Williams leave second when he fanned Hideki Matsui, Aaron Boone and John Flaherty.
“He was as good as I have seen,” Williams said.
“I am a fastball hitter and I was hoping he would throw me a curveball so I would have a chance,” said Flaherty, who went 0-for-3.
Last week, Torre said he would see how Wells pitched yesterday before deciding if the veteran lefty would remain in the rotation. Wells will, but even if the Blue Jays rocked him, Wells likely would have stayed a starter because Jeff Weaver, Torre’s replacement candidate, continues to be awful.
Weaver took over for Wells to start the eighth and gave up a three-run homer to Josh Phelps.
Wells refused to discuss the tumultuous week he went through but said that he felt fine and that the epidural block he received has taken care of a bulging disk. And he said he would throw a bullpen tomorrow if that would please Torre and Stottlemyre, who believe the workouts sharpen Wells’ skills.
“If that’s what they want, that’s fine,” Wells said. “I don’t have a problem with that.”
Wells’ biggest problem yesterday was walking Mike Bordick to lead off the fourth when the Blue Jays scored twice and erased a 1-0 Yankees lead.
“It gave them two runs,” Wells said of his only free pass. “They say walks kill and it was proven today.”
Two more runs in the fifth and another in the seventh were more than enough for Halladay to cruise.
