Rain Delay Washes Away Yanks Lead, Squander Game 12-6

On a soggy night in the Bronx, the Yankees played two different games as they were pounded into submission in game two against the Blue Jays. Both Michael Pineda and Marco Estrada were the scheduled starters for tonight's affair, neither would factor into the final decision as the Pineda-led Yankees were untouchable through the first five frames before the 42 minute rain delay. But following the delay, the Pinstripers were torched for 12 unanswered runs in one of the toughest games I've had to watch/write about in a very long time.

It didn't take long for the Yankees to score against Estrada as the third batter for the Bombers Didi Gregorius took the first pitch he saw and deposited it into the right field seats, giving them a first inning one run lead.

Although Aaron Judge and Tyler Austin have been the most talked about call-ups over the last week, Gary Sanchez has kind of been left out of the youth movement conversation but re-asserted himself tonight in a big way. In the bottom of the second, Sanchez launched his third homerun of the season into the visitors bullpen in left to extend their lead to two. And then after back-to-back two out singles by Starlin Castro and Brian McCann in the bottom of the fourth, Sanchez obliterated an Estrada changeup that landed in the upper deck in left to push the Yanks lead to 5-0.

After the lengthy rain delay in the middle of the fifth, both teams were forced to go to the bullpen as the Jays tried to put together a comeback. After Didi Gregorius put another run on the board for the  Yankees with an RBI single off Scott Feldman in the bottom of the fifth, Anthony Swarzak coughed up four runs to the Jays in the top of the sixth. Devon Travis led off the frame with a double, scoring on a Josh Donaldson single, 6-1. After consecutive strikeouts of Edwin Encarnacion and Michael Saunders, Swarzak served up a two-run blast to Troy Tulowitzki, followed by a solo shot by Russell Martin to pull Toronto to within two at 6-4.

Although Tyler Clippard worked a perfect seventh, Adam Warren allowed the Jays to take the lead in the top of the eighth. Josh Donaldson worked a 12 pitch walk and scored when Edwin Encarnacion punished a Warren heater into the left field stands, tying the game at six apiece. Then, after Tulowitzki recorded his fourth hit of the night, Russell Martin smoked his second bomb of the game, a two-run shot that gave Toronto their first lead at 8-6.

Warren was pulled after the Martin longball and the Yankees bullpen really let the Jays break the game wide open. Chasen Shreve came on first, loading the bases after a hit-by-pitch, a walk and a single. Shreve then gave up a single to Travis, scoring Ceciliani and advancing everyone else a base, 9-6. After a walk to Donaldson that plated Melvin Upton Jr., 10-6, Shreve was pulled for rookie righty Blake Parker. Parker proceeded to get Encarnacion to ground out to Castro, 11-6, and then served up a double to four-hole hitter Michael Saunders that scored Travis to put the final score at 12-6.

Tomorrow, it doesn't get any easier as the rubber game of the three-game set is scheduled for the afternoon, with first pitch scheduled at 1:05 PM/EST.