NEW YORK — For all the sweeping talk after the first two games about the Yankees’ new-look, much-improved 2022 offense, four games into the season, it much resembles the much-disparaged 2021 group.
After Monday night’s 3-0 loss to the Blue Jays in front of 26,211 chilled and irritated fans at the Stadium, the comparisons looked this way:
The Yankees (2-2) have been outscored 14-13. They were held to two hits entering the ninth inning Monday and were outhit 10-4.
The 2021 Yankees, also 2-2 after four games and on their way to a 5-10 start that had general manager Brian Cashman calling the team “unwatchable” at times, outscored the opposition 15-9.
On Monday night, the Yankees were shut down by 24-year-old righthander Alek Manoah, who allowed one hit and four walks in six innings in which he struck out seven. He did not allow a hit after Joey Gallo’s one-out single in the second.
Three relievers from a Toronto bullpen that was among the worst in baseball last year completed the shutout. Gallo led off the ninth against Jordan Romano with a single but Gleyber Torres grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Aaron Hicks singled and Kyle Higashioka struck out.
The Yankees went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven.
Jameson Taillon, making his season debut, did a reasonably good job of holding down the Blue Jays, who hit seven homers and had 20 runs and 28 hits in their season-opening three-game series against the Rangers at Rogers Centre. Taillon, coming off ankle surgery last October, allowed two runs and five hits, one of which was a two-run homer by George Springer, in five innings. The righthander struck out six and did not walk a batter.
The Yankees got their first hit in the second when Gallo, off to a 1-for-10 start, lashed a single to center. But Manoah got Torres to line softly to short and struck out Hicks swinging.
The Blue Jays (3-1) got on the board in the third. Santiago Espinal, one of the lesser-talked-about Blue Jays whom Toronto evaluators have been super-excited about since spring training, singled with one out. Springer, a 2017 Astro who heard some “you’re a cheater” chants as he stepped in, rifled a 0-and-1 slider down the leftfield line for his second homer and a 2-0 lead.
The Yankees nearly rallied in the bottom half. Higashioka got ahead 3-and-1 but popped to short. Marwin Gonzalez worked a four-pitch walk and, after DJ LeMahieu struck out, Anthony Rizzo and Aaron Judge walked to load the bases. Giancarlo Stanton hit a broken-bat grounder into the hole at short, but Bo Bichette fielded the ball near the outfield grass and threw across to first, where Vlad Guerrero Jr. made a nice stretch to record the third out.
Manoah’s poor command continued in the bottom of the fourth and the Yankees again could not take advantage. Gallo worked a leadoff walk, but Torres struck out looking, Hicks popped to short and Higashioka flied softly to center.
Manoah retired the last six he faced, needing just eight pitches to set down the Yankees in order in the sixth, his final inning, recording two strikeouts in the frame.
The Blue Jays tacked on in the seventh against Michael King. Espinal sliced a two-out single to right and Springer followed by lining a 1-and-0 fastball into the gap in right-center for an RBI double and a 3-0 lead.
Righty Trevor Richards replaced Manoah in the bottom of the seventh and immediately was overmatched. He allowed a leadoff single to Torres, then walked Hicks. He fell behind 2-and-0 before Higashioka sliced a liner to right that Teoscar Hernandez made a sliding catch on. In came sidearmer Adam Cimber to face pinch hitter Josh Donaldson, who scalded one back up the middle. Second baseman Espinal made a nice stop and started an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play, with Bichette making a neat pirouette before firing to first.
