Down With Doc

Roy Halladay's last loss against the Yankees came on Opening Day, 2008. His career numbers against the Yankees sound like a Cy Young candidate's. Sixteen wins to only five losses with a 2.90 ERA, 223 1/3 IP, 3.4 K/BB and 1.115 WHIP. And that's against the team who has had the most runs scored over the course of his Major League career. He's 7-1 with a 2.10 ERA in his last 10 starts against the Yankees. There are players who seem to have the Yankees number but a statistical analysis doesn't bear that out. Roy Halladay is not one of those players.

The two Bombers who actually have good numbers against Halladay combined to get to Doc in the first inning. In the first inning, Johnny Damon singled and was doubled in by A-Rod, who scored on a throwing error by Kevin fackin' Millah.

The two quick runs apparently did Andy Pettitte quite well, because the Yanks never surrendered the lead from that point forward. The Jays plated a run in the 4th inning on a sac fly by Alex Rios, but that was the extent of the damage on Andy's watch.

With the score still 2-1 after two quick outs in the 7th, Pettitte had thrown only 94 pitches and looked to be headed for the eighth inning and beyond. Instead, a four pitch skirmish with Edwin Encarnacion ended in a double and he walked Rob Barajas on six pitches. Joe Girardi called on Phil Hughes who got Jose Bautista looking to end the inning. Pettitte walked four and allowed more than his fair share of hard hit balls which the defense turned into outs, but walked away with a chance to win.

The Yanks widened the margin to 4-1 on back to back homers by Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira in the top of the eighth but it was not smooth sailing from there. Hughes allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base and the cameras panned to Mariano Rivera loosening up in the Yank's bullpen. Hughes buckled down, striking out both Adam Lind and Kevin Millar looking, but Girardi called on Mo to face Vernon Wells. Grrrrrr. Wells has a career 1.014 OPS against Rivera, but only a .614 OPS against Hughes, albeit in half as many at bats. Why ask Mo for another 4 out save? Wells worked a 3-0 count before ripping a two run double, to bring the Jays within one run. Rivera bent but didn't break and got Alex Rois to ground out to end the inning.

Cito Gaston left Roy Halladay in for the 9th, for some odd reason, and Hideki Matsui led off the bottom of the ninth with a prodigious bast to deep center on the first pitch he saw. Doc finished the inning and took the complete game loss, ultimately throwing 103 pitches, giving up 10 hits, striking out 5 and walking none.

Rivera allowed two singles during the course of the 9th inning, but Aaron Hill flew out to shallow center with men on first and thrid with tow outs and Melky Cabrera caught it to close out the victory for the Yanks and for Pettitte.

Going into tonight, any rational Yankee fan would have jumped at the chance to take a game which Roy Halladay started. Maybe Mo won't be available tomorrow because of the four out save tonight and the impending four game series against the Red Sox (who are still locked up at 2-2 in the 12th as I post this), but let's hope Girardi isn't faced with that decision. The Yanks got all they could ask for tonight.