NEW YORK — When they left Yankee Stadium for a cross-country flight to Oakland following a tedious 11-7 loss to the Detroit Tigers
http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-yogi-berra-jersey , the New York Yankees held a decent amount of comfort in the wild-card race.Now
they come back still occupying the lead in the wild-card race but hardly with a
comfortable lead.Heading into the opener of a three-game series with the Toronto
Blue Jays Friday night at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees are 1 1/2 games ahead of
the Oakland Athletics.Article continues below ...The Yankees are returning from
a middling 4-5 nine-game trip through Oakland, Seattle and Minnesota. The uneven
trip followed a disappointing 3-4 showing in a seven-game home stand against the
Chicago White Sox and Tigers.“We know what’s at stake,” Yankees slugger
Giancarlo Stanton said. “We know what we need to do. It’s not an ideal today or
a trip. We know what we need to do. We’re going to come out on Friday and get it
done.”By going 7-9 in their last 16 games, the Yankees have gone from 4 1/2 up
on Oakland to hardly assured of hosting the one-game playoff on Oct. 3.Going
back further, when the Yankees fell 9 1/2 out in the AL East after being swept
by the Red Sox, they were 2 1/2 up and while they gained two games on the A’s,
they were not able to shake their pesky challenger.While the Yankees scored
enough in their last homestand at times, they did not hit well for most of the
trip. They were no-hit until the eighth when Greg Bird ended Jake Odorizzi’s
no-hit bid and were held to two hits in Wednesday’s 3-1 loss at Minnesota.During
the trip, the Yankees scored 33 runs while batting .198 (56-for-283) while
striking out 75 times. With runners in scoring position, New York batted and hit
.169 (10-for-59).“We have the equipment in that room to be the club we expect to
be. Baseball will punch you in the mouth every now and then,” Boone said. “We
are clearly facing a little bit of adversity right now and we will be better for
it. I expect us to come out Friday ready to turn the page.”Stanton
Roger Maris Jersey , who was rested in the last home game, was 4-for-34 with 16 strikeouts on the trip. Gary Sanchez was 5-for-27 on the trip with three of
those hits in a 7-2 Monday, Didi Gregorius is 3-for-15 since returning from a
heel injury and Aaron Hicks went 3-for-27 on the trip.At least the Yankees can
say good things may be happening on the injury front. Sanchez and Gregorius
recently returned and Aaron Judge along with Aroldis Chapman appear close to
returning.Judge took regular batting practice on the field before Wednesday’s
game and could get into a simulated game soon. Since he fractured his right
wrist on July 26, the Yankees are 25-20.Chapman has been out since Aug. 22 with
tendinitis in his right knee but threw a bullpen session Wednesday in Tampa and
could get into a simulated game if another bullpen session goes well.Masahiro
Tanaka will start the opener and seeks his 12th win after allowing three hits
and striking out 10 in eight scoreless innings last Friday in Seattle. It marked
the eighth time in 10 starts he allowed two earned runs or less.Tanaka is 10-4
with a 2.86 ERA in 16 starts against Toronto, which is the only opponent he owns
10 wins against. His last appearance against the Blue Jays in New York was Sept.
29, when he fanned 15 in seven innings of a 4-0 win.The Blue Jays (65-81) didn’t
help the Yankees by losing three straight at Fenway Park, lowering the Yankees
magic number for elimination in the AL East to six. The Blue Jays lost for the
eighth time in 12 games when second baseman Yangervis Solarte committed a
fielding error in the eighth inning of Thursday’s 4-3 loss.The next loss will
clinch Toronto’s second straight losing season and they head into New York
hoping to see what they have in players like Rowdy Tellez and Lourdes Gurriel
Jr. Gurriel homered and is hitting .284 in 55 games while Tellez is 9-for-22
(.409) in his first eight games.“(Playing at Fenway) has been good for them and
when we go into Yankee Stadium that’s going to help them,” Toronto manager John
Gibbons said. “Whether they start here next year or when they make it. Next time
they go in there at least play one game there. It helps. People get in awe of
these places. I still do. I think that definitely helps.”Marco Estrada starts
for Toronto and hopes to end a three-game winless streak. Since beating
Baltimore Aug. 20, he is 0-2 with a 9.49 ERA, though he allowed two runs in six
innings in a no-decision last Friday against Cleveland.Estrada is 7-3 with an
8.15 ERA in 18 appearances (17 starts) against the Yankees.The Yankees have won
12 of the first 16 meetings with Toronto and six of seven at Yankee Stadium.
MIAMI — Tuesday’s game — a 2-1 New York Yankees victory over the Miami Marlins
in 12 innings — marked the return of Giancarlo Stanton to Marlins Park.Stanton
and the Yankees will try to win their fifth straight game when they conclude the
two-game set in Miami on Wednesday.Stanton, who was the 2017 National League MVP
while playing for the Marlins, was traded to the Yankees over the winter in a
cost-cutting move.Article continues below ...“I don’t think there were any hard
feelings
Phil Rizzuto Jersey ,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said when asked about Stanton and the trade Tuesday. “There weren’t any bad parts.”Stanton
agreed.“We know what the (financial) situation is over there,” Stanton said. “We
understand what they have been through. I’m just happy to be here. I always miss
Miami. I miss the city.“It’s cool to be back. It was cool flying in and driving
over the bridge. I miss everything about the city.”Miami feels the same about
Stanton. The fans — attendance at Marlins Park was much bigger than usual with
an announced crowd of 26,275 — gave Stanton a standing ovation when he came to
bat in Tuesday’s first inning.Stanton went 2-for-6 with a double and three
strikeouts, and the Marlins honored him with a video tribute in the second
inning.The Yankees (79-46) are in second place in the American League East and
have won four straight games to move within eight games of the first-place Red
Sox. They have also won 11 of their past 15 games since being swept in a
four-game series at Boston.Miami (50-77) is in last place in the National League
East and had its modest two-game win streak snapped Tuesday.On Wednesday,
Stanton will face a Marlins pitcher who is not a former teammate. Rookie
right-hander Trevor Richards (3-7, 4.28 ERA) has below-average speed on his
fastball (90.9 mph).But Richards, armed with an effective changeup, has been
better at home (2-3, 3.27 ERA) than on the road, and that could give him a boost
Wednesday.However, after posting a 1-0 record and a 2.30 ERA in five July
starts, Richards has lost his way. In three August starts
Brett Gardner Jersey , he is 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA.Richards will face veteran right-hander Lance Lynn (8-8, 4.68 ERA), who was acquired by the Yankees
from the Minnesota Twins on July 30.In four games with the Yankees — including
three starts — Lynn is 1-0 with a 2.61 ERA.Lynn is also 4-1 with a 3.75 ERA in
eight career games (six starts) against the Marlins.However, the Yankees will
likely be without closer Aroldis Chapman, who was trying for his 32nd save of
the season Tuesday when he exited the game in the 12th inning after six pitches
because of an apparent arm injury.Tommy Kahnle got the last three outs for his
fourth career save and his first since 2016 in his 200th career game.The
feel-good story for Miami on Tuesday revolved around rookie left fielder Austin
Dean, who jumped on the first pitch of the bottom of the fifth inning for a
leadoff homer to left-center.Dean, who crushed an 87-mph splitter, got his first
major league hit last week — a home run. This homer was his first base hit at
Marlins Park, and perhaps more heroics are in store for him Wednesday.
