
Without fanfare or drama, Jayson Nix has quietly made himself essential to the 2013 Yankees. When he was on the DL, there was a noticeable lack of depth on the team, offensively and defensively. He’s never going to be a star, but when he’s in the lineup he always manages to do something to help us win – never more so than today. The Yanks owe much of their doubleheader sweep of the Blue Jays to him. I’d really hate to see him DFA-ed when Jeter comes back.
Also an unlikely hero? Chris Stewart, whose homer in Game 1 saved the day. Well, Mo saved it literally, but Stewart’s homer was big. I’m not a huge fan of his catching ability (too many passed balls), but he’s given us much more than I expected this year.
Cano’s on fire, just as Soriano was during his run (which sadly appears over for now). And the starting pitching in the doubleheader was almost uniformly good: Nova in the opener and Hughes in the nightcap. The Jays were without Bautista after his injury and they’re not exactly tearing up the division the way they were supposed to, but today was all about beating a team we needed to beat.
The Yankees are still a long shot to make the playoffs – the Red Sox would have to start showing signs of a collapse and they haven’t – but at least they’re making the games fun again. I watched on and off throughout the day and I had the sense that they’d find a way to win – something I didn’t have a few weeks ago.