Jays can't overcome terrible first inning from Drew Hutchison

Blue Jays 5 White Sox 7

One terrible inning costs us again.

Drew Hutchison was awful, in the first inning, great after that, but then give up 6 runs in an inning, it rarely matters how good you are the rest of the way. In the first Drew loaded the bases on a single and 2 walks and Conor Gillaspie unloaded them with a home run. A single later, Jordan Danks hit the second home run of the inning.

Drew gave up 1 more run in the 6th, but that was caused by what should have been called an error on Jose Reyes, but for some unknown reason was called a hit.. After a Gillaspie walk, Gordon Beckham hit a perfect double play ball at Reyes but It bounced over his glove. I'm not sure if it took a bad hop, but Reyes should have made the play.

In all Drew went 7 innings (pretty amazing considering his first inning) allowed 8 hits (really 7), 7 earned (really 6), with 3 walks, 3 strikeouts. He does deserve credit for turning things around after that terrible first and pitching deep into the game.

We had a stupid moment in the top of the first inning. Jose Reyes started the game with a hard hit double. Melky Cabrera followed him with a sac bunt. Just a dumb move. Apparently, he did it on his own, which is something Gibby has to make clear isn't allowed. Players should never sacrifice on their own. Strategy has to be left to the manager. And, any decent manager won't play for a run in the top of the first. No manager should ever ask Melky to bunt.

Anyway, the bunt 'worked', we got a run that inning.   Bautista ground to first, throw came home and Reyes stepped on catchers Adrian Nieto's leg that was covering the plate. The umpire called him out, but it was overturned on review for 'blocking the plate', as clear a case of blocking the plate as you will ever see.

We tried for a comeback, we got 3 in the 5th. 2 on a Edwin Encarnacion homer, which came right after a bases loaded double play ball hit by Jose Bautista, which scored the other run. Bautista was very unlucky, hitting the ball hard but right at the third baseman.

We got 1 more in the 6th, but like almost always, we should have had more. Colby Rasmus had a leadoff single, but Munenori Kawasaki hit into a double play. Juan Francisco doubled. It feels like his first hit in weeks, but really it is his 3rd hit of the month. Dioner Navarro followed with a pinch hit RBI single. Then Jose Reyes singled, but Melky watched strike three go by to end the inning.

We had more chances. Bautista walked to lead off the 7th inning but we couldn't score him. Navarro took a 2 out walk in the 8th but we didn't score him. And, with 1 out, Bautista and Encarnacion walked, and Danny Valencia singled, but Colby hit a soft fly to left and Nolan Reimold ground out to finish the game.

We had 11 hits and 7 walks, so we should have scored more. Reyes had 3 hits. Bautista and Encarnacion each got on 3 times each. Melky was 2 for 4. The only starter not to reach base was Munenori Kawasaki.

We got lucky on another review play. In the 8th Avisail Garcia tried to stretch a double into a triple, but a good throw from Bautista, plus a good throw from Reyes got the ball to third baseman Juan Francisco before he got there, but it appeared that Juan missed the tag. The reviewers must have decided there wasn't clear evidence of the missed tag or perhaps they had a view we didn't that showed the tag actually happened, either way the upheld the out call made on the field.

Jays of the Day are Navarro (.125 WPA), Encarnacion (.108) and Bautista (.091). Reyes was close to the number (.089) but with the error I can't give him a JoD.

Suckage goes to Hutchison (-.476), Tolleson (-.173, 0 for 2, k), Rasmus (-.148, 1 for 5, he did have a could of hard hit outs) and Kawasaki (-.124, 0 for 3, k)..

Source: FanGraphs

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