For a team that needs to win today to avoid possibly tumbling out of first place in the AL East for the first time since June 10, the Yankees are not off to a very good start.

Phil Hughes, who got belted around the last time he pitched at the Rogers Centre, picked up where he left off on August 12, giving up two first inning runs on some very loud hits. It started with a one-out single by Rajai Davis followed by a walk to Edwin Encarnacion. Yunel Escobar then scorched one between the outfielders to the wall in right-center, scoring Davis, but for some reason Encarnacion slowed between second and third, perhaps thinking the ball could be caught. (It couldn't.)

Encarnacion scored the second run of the inning on a sacrifice fly to fairly deep center by Adam Lind. Meanwhile, the Yankees have had two singles off Henderson Alvarez and trail, 2-0, after two innings.