TORONTO -- At this stage of Ian Kennedy's young career, every start is an opportunity to try out new approaches, test his limits and see what outcomes he might have to deal with.
No one was expecting Kennedy to throw seven innings of one-hit ball. Once he did, few would have predicted it would end up in a Yankees loss.
Frank Thomas' ninth-inning single off reliever Chris Britton scored Alex Rios with the winning run as the Blue Jays defeated the Yankees on Thursday, 2-1, snapping New York's seven-game winning streak and spoiling Kennedy's terrific third Major League start.
"The third game felt a lot more like I was pitching anywhere else, like anywhere in the Minor Leagues," Kennedy said. "With one run, you're not going to win too many ballgames, scoring one run."
As sharp as Kennedy was, Toronto starter A.J. Burnett brought a performance to match, scattering four hits over eight innings, striking out eight. He made just one glaring mistake: Johnny Damon tied the game in the sixth inning with his 11th home run, a soaring shot that landed in the second deck of seats in right field, beneath the restaurant windows.
"I was just fortunate to be able to tie up the game," Damon said. "The guy is one of the best pitchers around. We had some chances. ... It seems like every time he pitches, he's pretty good. Tonight, he was spotting his fastball inside, up and down. His curveball is one of the best, also."
After Luis Vizcaino recorded three outs in relief of Kennedy's seven-plus-inning gem, and Melky Cabrera grounded out with two aboard to end the top of the ninth inning, the Yankees turned to the right-hander Britton for the bottom half.
Most of Britton's action has come with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, but the Yankees were unable to use Kyle Farnsworth due to a neck injury. Vizcaino had not pitched recently due to various injuries, and Joba Chamberlain was unavailable after throwing 35 pitches in Wednesday's victory.
Had the Yankees taken the lead in the ninth inning, manager Joe Torre said he would have gone to closer Mariano Rivera, but instead he chose Britton over September callup Jose Veras because of the former's strike-throwing ability.
Unfortunately for Britton, two of his strikes caught too much of the plate. Rios started the inning with a sharp single and stole second before Thomas ripped a bouncing ball up the middle, scoring Rios ahead of Cabrera's throw on a slide into the plate.
"It's very disappointing," Britton said. "Nobody wants to lose."
The tough defeat stained Kennedy's impressive performance, though only in finality. For the first seven innings, Kennedy shone, showing Toronto the full arsenal of talent that prompted the Yankees to make him a first-round selection in 2006 from the University of Southern California.
"They're a good fastball-hitting team, so I tried to throw a lot of changeups and curveballs," Kennedy said. "Mix it up. That's what I've got to do. I don't throw 97 [mph], like Burnett."
Kennedy permitted a first-inning run when Thomas doubled home Russ Adams, who had walked, with a drive to center field that eluded Cabrera near the wall.
After the Thomas double, Kennedy retired 15 batters in a row before issuing a two-out walk to Adams in the sixth, then continued to blank the Jays before leaving with one runner on in the eighth.
"He seemed pretty poised," Thomas said. "He wasn't afraid of the strike zone like most young guys. He didn't seem intimidated at all. He pitched his game, hit his spots in and out. He kept the guys off balance, and that's big league pitching."
Even the Thomas double, which Cabrera appeared to lose track of as he closed in on the padded blue fence, may have been catchable. Torre said that Cabrera has made similar plays before, and Kennedy thought the ball would be caught as well.
"I looked at the replay, and you could see the wall was right there as the ball was getting there," Torre said. "I'm sure he probably could have caught it, but I'm not saying he should have."
Yet the Yankees could not get anything going. Derek Jeter followed the Damon sixth-inning home run with a single and Bobby Abreu walked, but Hideki Matsui lined out to first baseman Lyle Overbay, ending the threat.
In the end, though, the lack of run support couldn't be blamed on Kennedy, who continues to exceed all expectations after a quick rise this season all the way from Class A Tampa. Kennedy's performance will create a pleasant but difficult set of problems for Torre and pitching coach Ron Guidry, who plan to meet in Boston to discuss -- among other options -- the concept of utilizing a six-man pitching staff that includes Kennedy.
With just 16 games remaining before the completion of the regular season, innings could grow tight, especially with Roger Clemens insisting that his right elbow is ready for duty and Mike Mussina all but begging for another chance to prove his revival.
Kennedy said he won't concern himself with such issues, preferring to leave any pondering over the difficult decisions to the Yankee brain trust.
"If I keep doing well, they hopefully will find a way to put me out there," he said. "I can't really think about that."
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