Buehrle cruises during strong outing vs. Yankees
Left-hander allows one run on seven hits over spring-high 6 1/3 innings
TAMPA, Fla. -- Left-hander Mark Buehrle pitched 6 1/3 strong innings while Adam Lind had a pair of hits to lead the Blue Jays to a 3-1 victory over the Yankees on Sunday afternoon at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Buehrle was making his third Grapefruit League start and got his pitch count up to 98. He allowed seven hits and didn't walk a batter while allowing just one run. His only blemish came in the sixth inning when Ichiro Suzuki led off with a ground-rule double to right field and eventually came around to score on a double-play ball off the bat of Derek Jeter.
New York outfielders Brett Gardner and Carlos Beltran had a pair of hits, but for the most part Buehrle cruised through his outing.
"He was doing what he has always been able to do, pounding the strike zone with every pitch," Blue Jays catcher Dioner Navarro said.
Yankees right-hander Michael Pineda matched Buehrle pitch-for-pitch during most of his outing. Pineda experienced a little bit of difficulty in the second when he allowed an RBI single -- the first run he allowed this spring -- to Navarro, but for the most part he looked very strong.
Pineda's other issue came in the fifth, but most of that had to do with his defense. With runners on first and second, Ryan Goins bunted down the third-base line. Pineda fielded it cleanly but then threw the ball away, which allowed Colby Rasmus to score. Brett Lawrie then scored when Pineda threw a wild pitch.
The 25-year-old Pineda allowed three runs -- two earned -- on six hits while striking out two over six innings. Pineda has now allowed only those two earned runs with 16 strikeouts in 15 innings of work this spring.
Up next: Brandon Morrow will take the mound when Toronto hosts the Phillies in a 1:05 p.m. ET start on Monday at Florida Auto Exchange (watch on MLB.TV). It's the second-to-last home game of the Blue Jays' spring schedule and it will also be an important one for Morrow. The right-hander needs to continue building up his endurance after taking a cautious start to the beginning of his Grapefruit League season. Closer Casey Janssen, Sergio Santos, Brett Cecil and Jeremy Jeffress are also scheduled to pitch for Toronto.