Edwin Encarnacion Hits Walk-Off Home Run, Blue Jays Win 7th Straight

The Blue Jays sure have a flair for the dramatic. The game was tied in the seventh, when Roberto Osuna appeared to strikeout Giancarlo Stanton. After umpire Angel Hernandez failed to ring him up, Stanton hit a solo shot to give the Marlins the lead.

In the bottom half of the inning, Edwin Encarnacion struck out on a very similar pitch that was even further outside. It appeared that the "Ump Show" could decide the game.

Giancarlo Stanton misplayed a Josh Donaldson fly ball to lead off the ninth, putting the tying run on-base for the heart of the order. After Jose Bautista struck out, Edwin Encarnacion hit a towering game-winning home run to walk things off. I am very thankful that Encarnacion did not get himself ejected after that horrible call.

Having just five hits and one walk as a team, the Jays were pretty lucky to score four runs. I will point out that Josh Donaldson's heads up base running made a huge difference in this game. He managed to advance on a ball in the dirt, before two sacrifice flies scored him in the forth.

On Offence:

• Jose Reyes: 2 for 4. Double, single, lineout, ground out. Lots of hard contact.
• Josh Donaldson: 2 for 4. 2 singles, foul out, K. Also robbed Realmuto of a hit in the 8^th, while his heads up base-running also helped lead to a run.
• Jose Bautista: 0 for 3. RBI sac fly, infield fly, ground out, K.
• Edwin Encarnacion: 1 for 3. Walk off home run, Sac fly, Infield fly, K.
• Chris Colabello: 0 for 3. Ground out, 2Ks.
• Justin Smoak: 0 for 3. Fly out, 2 Ks.
• Dioner Navarro: 0 for 3. Ground out, infield fly, K. Also gave up a passed ball that allowed Jeff Baker to reach base after striking out. I wonder if Russell Martin would have gotten some of the many borderline calls.
• Kevin Pillar: 0 for 3. 2 Ground outs, K.
• Ryan Goins: 0 for 2. Line out to centre, infield fly.

• Danny Valencia: Pinch hit for Goins in the 8^th, drawing a four-pitch walk.

Pitching:

• Mark Buehrle: 6 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 3 K, 1 BB. Given how the Marlins usually hit left-handed pitching, this was a pretty good start from Buehrle. Gibbons brought in Osuna to face the top of the Marlins lineup, which appeared to be a pretty smart move. It did not work out, but I liked the move.
• Roberto Osuna: 1 IP, 1H, 1 ER. Could not get a borderline call if his life depended on it. Probably deserved a clean inning.
• Aaron Loup: 1 IP, 1K. Pitched a clean 8^th.
• Liam Hendriks: 1 IP, 1H. I wished they used Brett Cecil in a one-run game, but it worked out alright.

Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Donaldson (.185), Mark Buehrle (.109) had the number. I will also give a Jay of the Day to Jose Reyes for crushing three hard-hit balls. Aaron Loup and Liam Hendriks also deserve one for their work out of the bullpen. Encarnacion's home run seemed to freeze the Fangraphs website, so his exact WPA is currently unknown.

The Jays will go for their eighth straight win tomorrow afternoon. Scott Copeland will be on the mound, up against right-hander Tom Koehler. It is a day game, that will begin at 12:37 PM.