A little too much déjà vu: Blue Jays 5, Athletics 4

Blue Jays 4 Athletics 5

Another day, another three home runs allowed, another overturned play at the plate in the 7th, and another one run Blue Jays loss at the Coliseum to Oakland.

R.A. Dickey gave up three home runs, which accounted for all of Oakland's scoring but was just enough. Staked to the 2-0 lead in the top of the inning, Dickey lead off the 2nd by giving up an absolute blast to Khris Davis, well past the 388 mark in left centre. After a single, walk and floyut, the recently promoted Ryon Healy hit his first big league home run, a 3 run shot down the left field line. The third home run came with two out in the 6th, a second HR (third in two days) for Davis, this one an opposite field solo shot to right.

A shame too, because in between Dickey was pretty good. Though really, that's the story of too much of his career in Toronto. He set down 11 in a row after the second home run, and a walk two batters before the third homer was erased on a double play. A leadoff walk in the 7th ended his day, 5 runs on 5 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts.

In came Drew Storen, who was....ineffective to put it nicely. He hit the first batter ge faced and then gave up a single to Healy on which Semien tried to score, and was initially ruled twice. On review, it was overturned as he was tagged before he got his foot down on the plate. Then was the absurdity of a second review regarding whether Thole was illegally blocking the plate. Then to further slow things down, a pitching change to bring in Aaron Loup. He got out of the inning with a strikeout and groundout sandwiched around another HBP. Roberto Osuna pitched a clean and easy 8th.

The bats didn't put together a whole lot either. They ran up Sonny Gray's pitch count early, though ultimately to little avail since they failed to inflict damage off Gray in the middle innings or the bullpen in the latter half of the game. IN the 2nd inning, Josh Thole of all people put the Jays ahead, coming through with a two out double to cash Troy Tulowitzki (leadoff double) and Darwin Barney (walk).

However, he very quickly gave away some of that earned goodwill, as after Ezequiel Carrera walked, Marcus Semien's throw on a Donaldson grounder was off the mark, allowing him to reach. Thole, jogging with two out, disaplyed a lack of awareness and strolled around third and found himself in no man's land, quickly trapped in a rundown and then the third out. That got Gray off the ropes in a big way.

And what happened leading off the third? Edwin Encarnacion hit a leadoff bomb. Of course, it's impossible to assume the same outcome with the bases loaded, but it definitely stings. The Jays continued to put runners on against Gray, but failed to push any across, and he went 6 innings.

The Jays went six up, six down against Ryan Dull and John Axford in the 7th and 8th. Leading off the 9th against Ryan Madson, Justin Smoak went yard to make it 5-4. But that was as close as it got as the next three went down pretty easily in order.

Source: FanGraphs

Jays of the Day: Encarnacion (+0.130 WPA, 2/4, HR). Josh Thole also has the number at +0.141 with a 2/3 day, but that doesn't include the negative hit from strolling into no man's land, so he probably doesn't deserve one.

Suckage: Dickey (-0.324), Saunders (-0.141, 0/4, 2K)

Tomorrow the Jays will try to avoid the sweep was J.A. Happ and Rich Hill will faceoff in a battle of southpaws.