Jays Mightier Than The Pen

Blue Jays left fielder Travis Snider stepped to the plate in the 10th inning last night mired in a 4-40 slump and had struck out three times in his prior at-bats. Snider was highly touted by Blue Jays scouts and was selected as the 14th overall pick in 2006, but has yet to "put it all together" at the Major League level. For one at-bat Tuesday night he did; Snider doubled off Ivan Nova in the 10th inning to score Edwin Encarnacion from 1st base with winning run in a 6-5 victory over the Yankees.

The game had gone extra innings after Mariano Rivera had his first blown save in eight chances. Yuniel Escobar led off the 9th with a double and moved to third on a Snider ground out. Rivera then committed a double whammy when he walked Jose Bautista and threw a run scoring wild pitch on ball four. Adam Lind single Bautista to third and John McDonald brought him home with safety squeeze bunt hit. Jose Molina singled to load the bases, but Eric Chavez temporarily saved the day. He stabbed Corey Patterson's grounder, stepped on third and threw to first to complete the double play.

The Yankees had taken a 4-2 lead in the top of the 6th inning when Mark Teixeira belted a Kyle Drabek pitch for a 2-run home run. But A.J. Burnett, who earlier gave up (what seemed like the 700th) home run to Bautista began a full melt down in the home half of the inning. The Blue Jays picked up a run on an Encarnacion double and had the bases loaded with just one out. Joe Girardi sent for David Robertson, who would have been the hero last night had the Yankees lead held up. "D-Rob" struck out Escobar and Snider to end the threat and the inning to preserve the 4-3 lead.

The Yankees final run came courtesy of a Curtis Granderson solo home run in the 7th inning.