Blue Jays 8
Yankees 0
With George Steinbrenner a possibility to surface in New York today, his Bronx inner circle can expect the following question:
“What happened to Jeff Weaver?”
When Weaver struggled in May, Steinbrenner suggested Jose Contreras replace him in the rotation. The way Weaver was booed at Yankee Stadium last night, The Boss has plenty of support if he suggests Weaver be banished to the bullpen.
Of course, things are different now. Contreras is in Tampa with a right shoulder problem and a long way from being ready for the big leagues. Brandon Claussen is at Triple-A Columbus and an option, but manager Joe Torre isn’t ready to make a change even after Weaver was rocked by the Blue Jays in an 8-0 loss in a game that was stopped by rain after 7½ innings and a 30-minute wait.
“After three good starts and this one you have to give him the benefit of the doubt, and I certainly will,” Torre said of Weaver (5-8), who was booed off the mound in the fifth by a large part of the 51,958.
Following three solid outings and coming off his best effort in pinstripes – against Toronto on July 13 at SkyDome – Weaver was no mystery to the muscular Blue Jays, who weren’t aggressive until they were in hitters’ counts.
Then they attacked breaking balls that stayed up. Eight days after limiting the Blue Jays to one run and four hits in eight innings, Weaver lasted 41/3 innings, was torched for five runs and 11 hits.
Even though Weaver was 2-1 with a 3.18 ERA in his previous three starts, the booing started early, when the first of two Vernon Wells’ homers stretched the visitors’ lead to 3-0 in the fifth. By the time Torre hooked Weaver the boos were piercing the muggy night.
“That seems to be the way it goes,” Weaver said of the severe booing. “What matters is in [the clubhouse]. I will continue to work. I still feel good about my stuff and approach.”
Said Torre of the fans: “They didn’t like what they saw. It was a little louder than I thought, but when I looked up there was 50,000 people. It’s part of being here at Yankee Stadium. If he can’t [deal with it], he isn’t the guy we thought he is.”
While Weaver was getting spanked, the Yankees were handcuffed by 6-foot-9 lefty Mark Hendrickson, a former NBA player with the Sixers, Kings, Nets and Cavaliers. Hendrickson, who was 0-1 with a 27.00 ERA in two games (one start) against the Yankees, was recalled from Single-A Dunedin yesterday and made his 19th start. He was sent to Dunedin to keep pitching on regular rest during the All-Star break. Hendrickson is 6-6. In seven innings he allowed five runs.
It doesn’t get easier tonight for the Yankees since Roy Halladay, the AL’s hottest hurler, takes a 14-game win streak to the hill against Andy Pettitte, who has won six in a row.
The loss stopped the Yankees’ five-game winning streak and cost them a game in the AL East race with the Red Sox, who are three lengths behind the front-running Bombers.
The Blue Jays, who had dropped 14 of 19 overall, have won five straight against the Yankees at the Stadium. They swept a four-game series on May 22-25. Wells added his 25th homer in the eighth.
Jason Giambi, who left the game with a stiff back in the eighth inning, heard the boos and understands Weaver’s plight.
“It’s tough, I know what it’s like,” Giambi said. “It’s nothing personal. They want to cheer as much as they boo.”
Not last night. They couldn’t wait to boo Weaver, and he obliged by not missing many barrels.
