There hasn’t been this much smoke and mirrors in New York since the velvet rope outside Studio 54 stretched for blocks.
Yesterday, under a perfect spring sky, the Yankees rode a pair of players rescued from the street in March to beat the free-falling Blue Jays, 3-2, in front of an announced crowd of 36,872 at Yankee Stadium.
Brennan Boesch and Lyle Overbay, who were released by the Tigers and Red Sox, respectively, during spring training, homered off ex-Met and last year’s NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey.
“We feel if we pitch we will get contributions from somebody,’’ starter Phil Hughes said after contributing six innings of two-run, seven-hit, nine-strikeout pitching to the fourth straight victory over the Blue Jays.
While the Yankees have relied on thick smoke and large mirrors offensively, their pitching has been very good and the bullpen exceptional.
“When they get to the [late innings] with [Mariano] Rivera and [David] Robertson, they are pretty good,’’ Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said of Robertson, who worked a perfect eighth, and Rivera, who notched his ninth save in nine attemptswith a clean ninth.
Across the past six games, of which the Yankees have won five, the relievers are 2-0 with four saves and feature an ERA of 1.00.
“That’s been our M.O. the last few years,’’ Hughes said. “If you give six or seven solid innings we have a chance to win.’’
Considering the late-game bullpen names are Joba Chamberlain, Robertson and Rivera, hold off on the smoke and mirrors angle.
Yet, that theory can’t be ignored on the other side of the deal. Teams don’t go 15-9 with Boesch, whom the Tigers cut despite being 28 and having an option remaining, hitting fifth, and Jayson Nix sixth.
“It’s a good clubhouse, that’s part of it,’’ said Overbay, whose third homer of the season was delivered with two outs and Travis Hafner on first in the seventh and erased a 2-1 Blue Jays lead.
Axed by the Red Sox on March 26, the sure-handed Overbay was signed by the Yankees 90 minutes later and has started 19 of 24 games at first base.
“We got a little bit lucky when he became available,’’ manager Joe Girardi said.
If that’s the case, the Yankees have to hope that luck doesn’t expire because across a six-month season talent usually wins the day and there isn’t a scout alive who will tell you the Yankees aren’t short in multiple areas.
Yet, they keep on winning. The four-game sweep of the Blue Jays, who won the offseason by trading for Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson and Dickey, paved the way for the Yankees to stay hot against the woeful Astros, who invade Yankee Stadium tonight for three gamesin which they will start Lucas Harrell, Philip Humber and Erik Bedard.
For six innings Dickey gave up the homer to Boesch and a single to Overbay in the second and didn’t face a batter with a runner in scoring position.
“It’s tough. You are used to seeing guys throw in the 90s and you are trying to hit a butterfly,’’ Girardi said of Dickey’s knuckler. “It’s tough to center the ball.’’
Overbay, who was 2-for-16 against Dickey when he homered, relied on a tip from former Blue Jays teammate Matt Stairs.
“I faced [Tim] Wakefield a lot and I struggled,’’ said Overbay, who must have had trouble at some point with Wakefield but was a career .345 (10-for-29) against him. “A couple of years ago Matt Stairs said try to pull homers. Ever since then I have started hitting [knuckleballs] better.’’