As the Yankees sat in a makeshift clubhouse beyond the left-field wall at Sahlen Field on Wednesday afternoon, general manager Brian Cashman did not raise his voice, nor did he point fingers. The pitching, offense and defense have all taken turns in the doghouse during the club’s recent slide back to the break-even point.
If Cashman’s impromptu arrival proves to be a turning point for this Yankees club, as a similar address did in 2009, the results were not immediate. J.A. Happ poured his heart out in a gritty 113-pitch performance, but the bats remained mostly silent in a 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays in Buffalo, N.Y.
With the loss, the Yankees are back at the .500 mark for the first time since July 25, when they were 1-1 in their season-opening series at Washington.
Happ struck out 10 over 6 1/3 innings, matching his best performance in a Yankees uniform, but the offense was unable to cover for his lone mistake — Jonathan Davis’ two-run homer in the second inning. Happ scattered four hits, walking two.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].