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It feels funny to think this, in a game that was a blow out, but the big moment of the game came with 2 outs in the top of the 6th. We were up 3-1, had runners on first and second and Ryan Goins due up. Gibby decided to pinch hit with Jimmy Paredes, a move that, with a lead, managers won't normally make. But it seemed like Gibby felt this was the moment we could get the big inning we've been looking for, for weeks now.
Goins really isn't hitting at all and Darwin Barney is on the bench and can play second about as well as Goins.
Paredes singled, driving in a run and, more important kept the inning going. Then Jose Bautista hit a big home run and suddenly we were up 7-1.
We needed a game like this (last year we seemed to have a game like this twice a week. We got the big hits and we got home runs. We had one home run each from Josh Donaldson, Bautista, Michael Saunders and Darwin Barney.
We had 14 hits. 2 each from our top of the order guys, Bautista and Donaldson. And 7 from our 4, 5, and 6 hitters, Justin Smoak (2), Saunders (3) and Troy Tulowitzki (2).
Everyone in the batting order hit other than Edwin Encarnacion (0 for 5), Ezequiel Carrera (0 for 3 but with a walk and a hit batter, though I think he fooled the umpire into thinking he was hit, 2 beat pause and then show pain) and Goins, but he was pulled after 2 at bats.
Aaron Sanchez had a good start. 7 innings. 8 hits, no walks and 7 strikeouts. He gave up a bunch of hits, some of them the seeing eye ground balls, but he didn't walk anyone and he just gave up the 2 runs.
Drew Storen pitched a nice neat 8th inning (nice to see).
Chad Girodo gave up a solo homer in the bottom of the 9th.
Jays of the Day: Sanchez (.196 WPA), Donaldson (.177), and I'll give one to Bautista (.090) and Paredes (.085).
No Suckage Jays. Ezequiel had the low mark at -.075.
I love seeing the guys have fun:
We had 1,391 comments in the GameThreads. Eric H led us to victory again. Great job.