Blue Jays beat Yankees 2-0 with a familiar bullpen game

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There must be something about designing a bullpen game for Yankee Stadium that just suits Blue Jays manager John Schneider, his pitching coach Pete Walker and whoever else has input into those decisions.

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The Jays won the deciding game of the ALDS in this very park and under similar circumstances a year ago, and then pulled it off again Thursday.

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Thursday night, it was the combination of Braydon Fisher, rookie Adam Macko, rookie Spencer Miles, veteran Tyler Rogers and Jeff Hoffman that made the Jays’ decision-makers look very good, shutting out the Yankees 2-0 to earn a split in the series and finish their seven-game road trip with a 4-3 record.

Miles in particular, who filled 4 1/3 innings of the nine, was spectacular in the Bronx. He threw 48 of his 63 pitches for strikes, allowing the Yankees just two hits while striking out six. The Jays continue to play down any suggestion that he might be a starter for this club in the near future.

Their caution is understandable, but there’s no certainty that any of those starters working their way back to health – we haven’t forgotten you, Shane Bieber – will actually make it all the way back, leaving them with Miles to consider.

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The win, though, went to Adam Macko, who made his big-league debut here in the opener and then found himself making his third appearance in the series last night as the second opener out of the Jays pen.

Macko went an inning and a third, struck out two and allowed just one run before turning the game over to Miles for the bulk innings.

Fisher, who started the game, was the seventh of eight pitchers in the ALDS series clincher, one of five pitchers still earning their keep in the Jays bullpen these days.

Jeff Hoffman was the lone Jays pitcher to appear in the same role as he did in that ALDS clincher. Normally the closing job these days falls to Louis Varland, but with Varland having pitched in the previous two games, he was unavailable.

It allowed Hoffman his first save opportunity since he lost the role and Hoffman took full advantage, striking out two in a clean ninth inning for his fourth save of the season.

The Jays got all the offence they would need in the first inning. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. worked a one-out walk, stole second, and then scored on a Dalton Varsho excuse-me double just over third base and down the left field line.

George Springer, who came into the game struggling to have much of an impact in the month of May, chipped in with his second home run of the month and second homer of this series in the seventh inning to make it 2-0 Jays.

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MILES AUDITIONING FOR BIGGER THINGS

The Jays are doing everything in their power to pour water on any suggestion that Rule V reliever Miles could be a solution for them for that vacant fifth spot in the rotation.

But Miles’ performance continually makes that a tougher sell.

All the 25-year-old right-hander has done is exceed expectations practically every time his name is called.

Certainly since the Jays started relying on Miles to carry the majority of the workload the past three times the team has used a bevy of relievers to get them through the fifth spot in the rotation that has been a question mark since Cody Ponce tore his ACL in his first start of the year, Miles has been the most consistent answer to their needs.

With his 4 1/3 scoreless innings last night, Miles has pitched 11 innings combined in his last three times the Jays got to that fifth spot in the rotation.

Miles has 13 strikeouts and just two walks in those 11 innings as he slowly expands his workload.

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Manager John Schneider was asked about Miles eventually taking that No. 5 role over before yesterday’s game, but replied the team remains hopeful that both Max Scherzer and/or Bieber return and at least give the Jays some options.

At the same time, Schneider was talking about capping the number of pitches Miles will throw in any one game, and by extension this season. The Jays sound very mindful of how much they will ask of Miles, who basically spent his minor league career either rehabbing or waiting for his body to heal following two major surgeries.

They don’t want to push it, but Miles’ performance of late is going to make that a much tougher sell if he can keep this up.

mganter@postmedia.com

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