The Toronto Blue Jays (61-52) welcomed to Oakland Athletics (51-62) as well as multiple former Jays. Most notably, Jesse Chavez who pitched 9 games for the team back in 2012 going 1-1 with a 8.44 ERA.
Oh, and Brett Lawrie, Danny Valencia, and Kendall Graveman. The A's starting Third Baseman, Designated Hitter, and today's starting pitcher.
The Jays looking for their ninth straight victory against a team who is playing for pride at this point.
The only question I had coming into the game was whether or not the fans would make us at home proud and cheer for the former Jays. Or, at the very least, not boo them.
Good job, folks. I don't hate everyone right now.
Drew Hutchison took the mound for the Blue Jays. Coming into the game he'd been struggling this season. A 5.42 ERA on a 4.02 FIP but has managed a 10-2 record in large part due to an 8.08 RS/9 by the team. That number represents the most runs scored per 9 of any pitcher in the Big Leagues.
He'd run into some early trouble when, after a double play was overturned upon review, Hutch would leave a fastball over the plate and Danny Valencia would put it just out of the reach of a diving
Kevin Pillar. J.J Reddick, who had been called safe at 1st on the overturned DP, would come around to score. 1-0 A's.
Kendall Graveman started for the A's. He's been solid going 6-7 with a 3.90 ERA and a 4.50 FIP. He's been very effective since returning to the team following an early season demotion going 5-5 with a 3.06 ERA and a 4.07 FIP in that time.
He'd throw 11 pitches to get out of the first but in the bottom of the second Chris Colabello, starting at DH for the injured
Edwin Encarnacion bloop a ball out in front of
Coco Crisp in Left Field. Unfamiliar with the new turf, Crisp would helplessly watch the ball bounce over his head leading to a double.
Russell Martin, following a close checked swing strike call, grounded harmlessly to short and Cola advanced to third... Except Marcus Semien decided to make things interesting, considered throwing to third before air-mailing it to first, advancing Colabello home and Martin reaching second safely. 1-1 game.
Justin Smoak ripped a ball into left off the wall scoring Martin before being thrown out at second by a very strong throw from Crisp. The call went to review, however, and was overturned to make it an RBI double. An error and a groundout (by
Ryan Goins) later and the Jays are up 3-1 in the 2nd.
The next couple innings were relatively uneventful as the pitchers settled in. That was, until the Bottom of the 5th when Jose Boss-Tista destroyed a pitch from Graveman into the upper deck, his 27th of the season, to add another chapter to what has been an
interesting season for the Jays slugger. 4-1 Jays.
Graveman would only go 4.2 innings allowing 2 ER's on five hits. Defensive miscues made it a rough night for him.
Hutchison, on the other hand, turned in a fantastic performance, being pulled in the 8th after a leadoff single, going 7 innings (plus a batter) of four hit ball, allowing just the two run, walking two, and striking out six.
Aaron Sanchez would come in, get an out on a sacrifice, but allowed a single by Burns to score Semien. 4-2 Jays. Sanchez would regroup to strike out Crisp on a filthy fastball before snagging a comebacker off the bat of Reddick to get the final out.
Roberto Osuna would come in to close it out. After running into a little trouble after a Vogt double he would get Lawrie to fly out to Pillar and then struck out Davis to earn his 11th save and the Jays 9th straight win! And that makes it 12-0 with
Troy Tulowitzki in the lineup... Wow.
Final Score: 4-2 in favour of the Blue Jays. Drew Hutchison picked up his 11th win of the season.
Jays of the Day: Drew Hutchison had a fantastic start (.209). No one else gets the number but Jose Bautista's homer and
Chris Colabello's 3-hit game (only Jay with multiple hits today) earn honourable mentions.
No suckage today.
R.A Dickey on the mound tomorrow for Game 2 of the series as the Jays look for Win #10!
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