Blue Jays 4 Rangers 6: Adam Lind's 3 run homer wasn't enough

Rangers 6 Blue Jays 4

Add that to the list of games we should have won.

We scored 4 in the 3rd inning, 3 of them on Adam Lind's 4th home run of the season. Fangraphs had us at a 87.8% chance to win, and it all went downhill from there.

Josh Johnson had moments where he looked great and other moments when he didn't. He gave up 5 hits, 4 walks, 3 earned, with 4 strikeouts in 5 innings. We needed him to go deeper, but the walks and the nibbling jacked up his pitch count. Still he left the game with a chance at a win.

For the first time in a long while, our over worked bullpen wasn't great. Juan Perez gave up an unearned run, helped along by a throwing error from Josh Thole. Neil Wagner and Dustin McGowan each gave up a solo homer in their respective inning of work. McGowan didn't look great, pitching on consecutive days, but that mid-90's fastball is a nice thing to have. Thad Weber pitched a scoreless 9th, then went to pack his bags.

On offense, we only had 6 hits, 3 for Jose Bautista, who also took a walk. It looks like his timing is back. He also got tossed after arguing balls and strikes in the 9th. He didn't like the strike call on the first pitch of the at bat, then strike two was a checked swing strike, which I thought was punishment for arguing strike one. Then he chased on a ball in the dirt and went off on the plate umpire. I wish he won't have, it was a big moment, we had the tying run at second. Arguing seemed to take the focus off the chance of tying the game. Edwin Encarnacion followed with a popout to end the game.

Josh Thole got his first start behind the plate, as a Jay. He looked good catching, except for the bad throw on the stolen base attempt. At the plate he was 0 for 3 with a walk. Nice to see a catcher that will take a walk. Andy LaRoche also had his first start as a Jay, going 0 for 4 with a k.

Melky Cabrera (0 for 3, walk and sac bunt), Emilio Bonifacio (0 for 2, 2 k) and Munenori Kawasaki (0 for 4, reached on an error in the 9th) also were 0 fors. Emilio made up some by making a great catch, going a long way back into the outfield to grab the ball and turning and throwing home. He didn't have to throw home, as the runner, Craig Gentry, didn't tag up, figuring there was no change Bonifacio would make the catch. Thole tossed to third to double up Gentry.

Jay of the Day: by the numbers, no one, but I'm giving one to Lind for that 3 run homer, though he had a chance, later in the game, to play hero again and failed. With 2 on, in the 8th, down by 2, he ground out to end the inning.

Suckage: Neil Wagner had a -.200 WPA and Cabrera -.099 though I think he deserves some credit for the nice bunt on the 9th, moving runners to 2nd and 3rd. Really, one of Bautista or Encarncion should have been able to bring them home.

As much as 4 runs should be enough to win, once again we score early and then fail for the rest of the game. It would be nice to be able to score in more than one inning in a game.

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