Yankees (Schlittler) vs Blue Jays (Fisher): 08/15/26, 3:07 PM

[Spanky__99]

4 minutes ago, John_Havok said:

the increase in his changeup usage has been very beneficial for him. Even though it sits 93 vs his 98 mph fastball it's still a massive whiff generator for him. 

His Stuff+ and Loc+ numbers are up pretty much across the board from 2025 to 2026 (S+ up to 115 from 109 overall, Loc+ up to 106 from 101)

FA S+ up to 118 from 109, Loc+ up to 106 from 100

SL S+ up to 98 from 89, Loc+ up to 121 from 104

CH S+ up to 99 from 84, Loc+ up to 115 from 100

KC up to 126 from 118, Loc+ basically a push at 101 from 102. 

Didnt mention the sinker since he throws it so little. 

 

Basically he made a top shelf fastball and disgusting knuckle curve better, and brought two well below average stuff pitches with good location up to average stuff with great location. 

I don't trust stuff+ numbers on change ups and splitters. Legit, they might be far better.

[John_Havok]

Just now, Spanky__99 said:

I don't trust stuff+ numbers on change ups and splitters. Legit, they might be far better.

okay, but even if you don't trust numbers, seeing them both jump from crap to average by the numbers with better location... is objectively a good thing. 

[jmomcc]

I really love Bateman already. Another trade I didn’t like lol 

[Spanky__99]

11 minutes ago, John_Havok said:

okay, but even if you don't trust numbers, seeing them both jump from crap to average by the numbers with better location... is objectively a good thing. 

That's what I'm getting at, might be ridiculous in that theory, if you follow what I mean. Laika and sliderguy would know more than me, me thinks.

[Jays24]

3 hours ago, John_Havok said:

he's a lifetime .170 hitter with a 560 ops against lefties. Let's not pretend they had a good chance to do anything even with him swinging. 

I was surprised they didn't pinch hit for Lukes and put Straw in defensively IF the pinch hitter did anything. 

Ya lets ignore the fact they are going to walk Kirk because Straw is hitting cleanup.  I would have taken my chances with Lukes making contact that gets the run in anyways.  

Anyways, we won so who cares lol

[Jays24]

Screw the 6th wild card spot... time to start looking towards the Red Sox!

I understand finishing 6th would be better than 5th but just in terms of guaranteeing a playoff spot.

[Omar]

From Pinstripe Alley

Outdone by the Jays bullpen, Yankees relive painful memory

There are ways and ways of losing a low-scoring game, and when it feels as though you’ve underperformed far more than simply being dominated, the frustration level rises, such as in this 4-1 defeat to the Blue Jays. Held quietly by the Jays in a bullpen game, the Yankees lost their fourth straight Schlittler start.

Making matters even worse, the Yankees actually got on the board early thanks to George Lombard Jr., who has been a breath of fresh air for an offense in desperate need of one. His early numbers aren’t spectacular, but as a shortstop who puts the bat on the ball and makes key plays both ways, the RBI single in the second—driving in Spencer Jones—was just the latest of these

That one run could’ve led to more if the Yankees as a whole were more reliable in seizing opportunities, Lombard taking second after the Jays left fielder foolishly didn’t throw the ball to second. Then in scoring position with just one out, Lombard was stranded as the Blue Jays pounced on the sequence of lefties at the bottom of the Yankees order—Ricky Tiedemann, making his major league debut, retired Ryan McMahon and Austin Wells.

It didn’t take long for the Jays to hurt Cam Schlittler for the first time, stringing a sequence of unlikely hits together—none more so than a Nathan Lukes single to the opposite field on a fastball well above the belt. Lukes’ knock presented a two-on and one-out situation for Alejandro Kirk, who hit a groundball to second, just escaping Jazz Chisholm Jr.‘s glove and a potential double play to instead drive in a run. Facing an even bigger threat than Tiedemann an inning before, Schlittler punched out Jesús Sánchez and came back from a 3-0 count to retire Kazuma Okamoto and keep the score at one-all.

That sequence in the second of Lombard reaching only to be stranded by the bottom of the order’s inability to make something happen happened again in the fifth—this time even without a lefty to retire McMahon and Wells, the latter on a double play induced by Simeon Woods Richardson. Needing to look somewhere for length in the hope of not completely wearing down the bullpen, the Jays got 2.1 scoreless from Richardson. The right-hander has found success in the early samples of his return to Toronto, being this long-relief option out of the bullpen.

In the sixth, the Yankees had a favorable matchup with Helliot Ramos hitting against the lefty Mason Fluharty, who was brought in to handle Trent Grisham and Ben Rice. Not only did Ramos not manage to make strong contact, but without hustling down the line, he was thrown out despite Andrés Giménez’s initial bobble at short.

Schlittler left the game during the sixth after a couple of men reached with just one out and was at the mercy of the bullpen. The Yankees’ starter saw his line preserved by Brent Headrick, who punched out Andrés Giménez and retired Brandon Valenzuela.

Changing things up on the path to not scoring, the Yankees’ disappointment in the seventh came on an ill-advised stolen base attempt from Luis Garcia Jr. after leading off the inning with a single. Afterward, Spencer Jones was struck out by Spencer Miles on six pitches, not a single one of them a strike. The list of letdown at-bats grew longer by the minute.

Each of these wasted chances felt like it brought the Blue Jays closer and closer to a win. Eventually, the Yankees staff wasn’t going to keep up the zeroes, and that happened in the bottom of the seventh. Charles McAdoo narrowly missed out on a home run but got enough for an RBI double off the left-hander Headrick. Paul Blackburn pitched his way out of the mess created by Headrick and stranded the bases loaded. However, an inning later the Jays added a pair of insurance runs off Tim Hill, the first Yankee pitcher in this game to truly be off it, allowing the first four hitters he faced to reach safely. Even then, much like in the previous frame, a Yankees pitcher stranded the bases loaded, this time Yerry De Los Santos.

Those insurance runs felt as irrelevant as they could be because Louie Varland dominated the bottom of the ninth in such a fashion that getting someone on base would’ve been a massive task. The Blue Jays closer struck out the side to wrap up yet another loss at Rogers Centre.

If the life of the Yankees offense hasn’t been easy in the first two games of this series, expect further difficulties in Sunday’s finale at 1:37 p.m. The Yanks will try to avoid the sweep, sending Ryan Weathers to face off against the Jays’ ace, Dylan Cease.

 

[Omar]

Just now, Jays24 said:

Screw the 6th wild card spot... time to start looking towards the Red Sox! 

[Omar]

You know what is really interesting.  If you take a look at the Yankee gdt's on their forum the topic of managing inevitably comes up.  Yankee fans complain about how John Schneider always seems to out manage Boone during the most crucial games of the season.  His use of his bench, bullpen, the bunt, etc.  John Schneider (derisively named Mall Santa here) is always one step ahead of Boone.  Think on that haterz.

[Laika]

John Schneider IS pretty good. 

The team bunts too much. That's my main complaint. 

[jmomcc]

25 minutes ago, Laika said:

John Schneider IS pretty good. 

The team bunts too much. That's my main complaint. 

I do think the early changes in the 18 inning game might have ended up losing us the series but it was reasonably low probability that a game goes that long. 

[John_Havok]

1 hour ago, Jays24 said:

Ya lets ignore the fact they are going to walk Kirk because Straw is hitting cleanup.  I would have taken my chances with Lukes making contact that gets the run in anyways.  

Anyways, we won so who cares lol

Lukes got the chance in his next PA against a lefty and what happened? Lierally a swinging bunt up the 1st base line.

The bunt call in this situation was fine given the circumstances and the personel available.

Yes. They bunt too much overall.

[Stangstag]

6 minutes ago, jmomcc said:

I do think the early changes in the 18 inning game might have ended up losing us the series but it was reasonably low probability that a game goes that long. 

Realistically, playing a injured limping Bo probably cost us the WS. He kept getting subbed out by IKF and his spot came up several times in key spots in several games.

If Bo was going to play, he should’ve been good for 8-9 innings. 

[jmomcc]

1 minute ago, Stangstag said:

Realistically, playing a injured limping Bo probably cost us the WS. He kept getting subbed out by IKF and his spot came up several times in key spots in several games.

If Bo was going to play, he should’ve been good for 8-9 innings. 

That’s another thing. I think IKF’s minutes all could have went to Davis ideally. 

I don’t think Bo was the problem. 

[Laika]

Annual tradition 

 

[Terminator]

 

1 hour ago, Laika said:

John Schneider IS pretty good. 

The team bunts too much. That's my main complaint. 

Bullpen usage has been great recently. Letting Lee wear one in the close game against the Sox where we trailed by a run allowed us to use all the high leverage guys in the other games. A lot of casuals were losing their mind but it paid off bigly. 

[Jays24]

37 minutes ago, John_Havok said:

Lukes got the chance in his next PA against a lefty and what happened? Lierally a swinging bunt up the 1st base line.

The bunt call in this situation was fine given the circumstances and the personel available.

Yes. They bunt too much overall.

Thats what I thought Lukes could have done in the other situation too.  I trust him to put the ball in play. 

Worst case, its a double play and we score a run.  Just didnt want Straw to come up, which was a 100% certainty once you open up 1B.  

And yes... I think we bunt too much too even though I realize we might need to do that more than most teams. 

[Terminator]

I love the sportsnet crew panning to Bret Boone’s brother the entire game.
 

Watching his meltdowns the entire game is must see TV.

[jaysblue]

Huge win today! Have a chance with Cease on the mound for the sweep tomorrow, but regardless, taking 2 of 3 against the Yankees a huge success!