Yankees look frightening even with Judge and Stanton neutralized

It may be early in the season, but if the New York Yankees proved anything in their 4-2 victory on Friday in Toronto against the Blue Jays, it was that they're a dangerous club even without Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton producing at the plate.

The Yankees' towering pair posted an Ofer, combining for three strikeouts and looking outmatched by Blue Jays starter Aaron Sanchez, who concocted a plan with batterymate Russell Martin to contain the powerful duo prior to the game.

But, even with Judge grounding into two double plays and Stanton looking the opposite of his Opening Day performance (which included two home runs), the Yankees showed they aren't a two-trick pony that relies solely on the muscles of the powerful pair.

Terrific supporting cast

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

An 0-for-12 from Judge, Stanton, and Gary Sanchez may look terrible in a box score, but the Yankees didn't need the trio on Friday because of an excellent effort from their supporting cast.

Didi Gregorius, Brandon Drury, and Tyler Wade combined for five hits (four of which were for extra bases) and drove in all four of New York's runs. Actually, every hitter in the Yankees' lineup not named Judge, Stanton, or Sanchez - including rookie Billy McKinney who made his MLB debut - recorded a hit against Toronto.

The Yankees also showed they don't need to stick to the Bronx Bombers moniker, either, scoring all of their runs sans long ball and even worked four walks off of Sanchez, whose control was spotty.

If the Yankees' supporting cast continues to pick up the slack when one, two, or even three of their best hitters have off nights in the future, what is an opposing team to do?

Go after the pitching

Nope, wrong answer. The Yankees can pitch, too.

Masahiro Tanaka was almost unhittable against a Blue Jays offense that, on paper, was supposed to be good. The Japanese wizard used his magical bag of pitches to keep the Blue Jays off balance, retiring 13 straight at one point while allowing just three hits.

Tanaka's three-hitter came one day after Opening Day starter Luis Severino allowed a lone hit to the same Blue Jays.

It'll be interesting to see if CC Sabathia, Sonny Gray, and Jordan Montgomery can replicate the success of their peers, but if 2017 was evidence, they've proven they can.

* w/ Yankees and Athletics

So, the Yankees bullpen has to be the answer then, right?

*Family Feud buzzer*

Wrong.

New York's bullpen also looks terrifying so far.

Okay, Aroldis Chapman's ninth inning on Friday was anything but flawless. The flame-throwing closer allowed back-to-back doubles to Steve Pearce and Yangervis Solarte, but he still struck out the side, which included 2015 AL MVP Josh Donaldson and All-Star Justin Smoak.

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

That came after Tommy Kahnle and David Robertson had no trouble bridging the gap from Tanaka to the ninth; something they've been pretty good at since being acquired from the Chicago White Sox last season.

Heck, Aaron Boone was so comfortable with his lead and the work of his 'pen that he didn't even need to use Chad Green or Dellin Betances.

So, what's a team supposed to do against the Yankees?

It appears the only answer is to beat them at their own game, and the only teams that look capable in the AL reside in Boston and Houston.

But, with the Red Sox struggling to either prevent or score runs in their first two games, and the Astros looking human in a loss against Doug Fister and the Texas Rangers on Friday, the Yankees may be the most terrifying team in all of baseball, even when Judge and Stanton aren't doing all of the damage for them.