The Blue Jays beat the Angels 8-7 in 13 bizarre innings

Blue Jays 8 Angels 7 (13 innings)

It’s late at night, so if you are expecting a real recap.....you’ve come to the wrong place. There are no words to describe that mess. The bottom of the 13th aged me ten years.

All that matters is that Jose Bautista hit a 3-run home in the 13th inning.

The bad news is that Troy Tulowitzki slide into third base, then grabbed at his right hamstring and walked off the field. I’m not going to guess, but I’m going to hope it isn’t too serious....but he didn’t wait for the trainer to come out, he just walked off the field. He knew something was wrong.

Beyond that, random thoughts:

• Mat Latos was.....well he was about what you would expect, not good. He fought through 5 innings, allowed 6 hits, 3 walks, a Mike Trout home run, a strikeout, but ‘only’ 4 earned against him. I wasn’t expecting much and I pretty much got it.
• Angel defense helped us out. defense. We scored one run on a throwing error, one on a wild pitch, and we moved runners to 2nd and 3rd on another wild pitch, just before Justin Smoak (who has been as close to a hitting hero as we’ve had this season) doubled, getting us 2 runs. Our old friend, Yunel Escobar made a bad error.
• Speaking of Yunel, he had a pitch up and in and he managed to hurt himself, somehow, getting himself out of the way. To me, it almost looked like a concussion. Since he has had a concussion before, it is possible. Update: It was announced he left with dizziness.
• Smoak’s double gave us a 5-4 lead, in the top of the 8th, giving us hope. Unfortunately, in the bottom of the inning, Dominic Leone gave out a 2-out walk and then, Jefry Marte hit a fly into the left field corner....Ezequiel Carrera got there in time, jumped and missed the ball by a few feet. It wasn’t an easy play, right in the corner there, but he really should have made the catch. That scored a run that tied the game.
• Danny Barnes pitched 2 innings and looked great, giving up just 1 hit and etting 3 strikeouts. I’ll be sad if he is the one sent back to Buffalo after the game.
• We had 12 hits on the night. Smoak (the only extra base hit, until Bautista’s homer) Morales (2), Tulo, Martin (3), Coghlan (bunt single), Pillar, Carrera and Jose Bautista (2, infield hit and 3-run homer).
• Joe Smith came in with 1 out in the ninth, and no one on, to face Mike Trout, who hit one a long way to right center, but Jose made a catch at the wall. Smith got out of the 9th.
• Ryan Tepera pitched the 10th, he gave out a 1-out single, that would have been an easy out if we weren’t playing ‘no doubles’ defense. Kevin Pillar almost made the catch. Ryan hit the next batter, bringing up my blood pressure. But he got a soft liner at Devon Travis, who smartly, short hopped it and got an easy double play.
• Kevin Pillar hit one to the wall in the top of the 11th, but caught, I thought he hit it out, but just short. Jose managed a 2-out walk, but Morales struck out chasing.
• Tepera pitched a quick 11th, getting Trout to strike out to end the inning.
• Martin single in the 12th, but then was caught stealing (by 10 feet), by former Jay Juan Gaterol.
• Tepera pitched the 12th too....3 good innings of work....sorry to tell him his prize will be a all expenses paid trip to Buffalo.
• Angels brought in Jesse Chavez, for the top for the 13th (thank you Angels). Chavez got 2 quick outs. Then Pillar singled, Ezequiel singled and Bautista hit a home run. We’ve been waiting for his first home run for far too long. I’m almost game I stayed up long enough to see it.
• Aaron Loup came out for the bottom of the 13th. Smoak’s error, on an easy ground ball, to start the inning made life tough. A wild pitch later and it was looking worse. And then a walk, to bring the tying run to the plate. A Coghlan error got Loup taken out of the game. An easy double play ball and Coghlan boots it. This season, I tell you. Two of the easiest ground balls you will ever see and we boot both of them. Loup wasn’t good, but he got soft contact twice and we booted both.
• Biagini came into the game, with the tying run on first. He got a strikeout, gave up a single, scoring a run and moving the tying run to second and bringing up Mike Trout. And he hit Trout....another run, tying run at 3rd. Pujols with 1 out, tying run at 3rd, winning run at second.....And he strikes out! Yay Biagini. C.J. Cron went to 0-2....Biagini threw a perfect pitch and it was called a ball. After a couple of foul balls....Cron lined one right at Pillar....I was almost sure he would drop it. Biagini deserves a medal.

Jays of the Day: Bautista, Tepera (3 innings of shutout relief), Smoak (for the 2 run double, though he loses points for the error on the easy ground ball to start the bottom of the 13th), Martin (for the 3 hits) and Biagini (bases loaded, no outs, tying run at first and he gets out of it). Oh, I forget Danny Barnes, he was great for 2 innings.

Suckage: Latos (5 innings, 4 earned). Loup (killed by the two errors, but the walk was on him, pitched behind everyone, but then got weak contact twice, still suckage). Barney (0 for 5, 2 strikeouts, left 8 guys on base, with Buck and Pat telling us how great his bat was every time up). Coghlan was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, but that error almost killed me, so he gets an award. Carrera (1 for 7, plus not making that catch, it wasn’t easy but we needed it).

I think all of us that made it through that 13 inning deserve honorary JoDs.

Sorry this is a mess but....It’s very late (or very early).

We had 1794 comments in the GameThreads (pretty good considering it was almost 4 in the morning Eastern when it ended). Rivervillian led us to victory.