NEW YORK—The Blue Jays didn’t blast music in the locker room the way they do after a win, but post-game moping that usually follows a getaway day loss was absent.
The Blue Jays remained remarkably loose for a team that had just lost three times in a single day.
First they lost the game, 5-1 to the Yankees and squandering a chance to sweep the World Series champs on the road.
They also lost the Alex Rodriguez lottery when, after 12 games of waiting and mounting hype, the Yankees third baseman took Shaun Marcum deep for the 600th home run of his career.
Finally, they lost catcher John Buck, who took a Rodriguez foul tip of his right thumb in the fifth inning.
The foul ball’s impact didn’t break bones — and Buck considers himself lucky for that — but it split Buck’s skin, a gash requiring three stitches to close and a few days to heal.
Immediately after the game the Jays placed Buck on the 15-day disabled list, but he hopes to start throwing again well inside that time frame.
“They were able to sew (the skin) right to my thumbnail, so hopefully that will make it heal quicker,” Buck said, his thumb wrapped in bandage. “I can move it and everything. It feels fine. . . . The doctor said as soon as I feel like I can start throwing I can play catch.”
Jose Molina replaced Buck midway through Wednesday’s game but afterward the club announced they will promote highly-rated catching prospect J.P. Arencibia from Triple-A Las Vegas. Arencibia has been touted as the club’s catcher of the future since the Jays drafted him in 2007 and has played well enough in Las Vegas to make Buck pre-deadline trade bait even though the incumbent starting catcher made his first all-star team.
Through Tuesday the 24-year-old Arencibia had played 95 games for Las Vegas, batting .303 with 32 doubles and 31 home runs, most in the minor leagues. His power numbers are even more impressing considering that he hit only eight homers in the first two months of the season.
Arencibia’s arrival will provide a glimpse into the Jays’ future, but halfway through their season series with the powerhouse Yankees the present looks more pleasant than most observers would have predicted.
Instead of limping in the final two months the Jays remain four games over .500. Wednesday’s loss comes after two straight wins at Yankee Stadium and clearly represents a lost opportunity.
But the Jays still lead the season series 5-4, and starting the toughest month on their schedule with a series win over the Yankees tempers the disappointment.
“You always like to win that last one on the way home,” said manager Cito Gaston, “but we’ll take two out of three anytime we can.”
Jays lose Buck and game in Bronx - thestar.com
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