A Win! Jays beat A’s

A’s 2 Blue Jays 4

Well, we should have scored more. Many more. But a win is a win.

We got a very nice start from Francisco Liriano. We needed it to build up a little trade value. He went just 5 innings, but allowed just 2 hits (one was a Matt Chapman home run), 2 earned, 2 walks and 5 strikeouts.

He didn’t start the game like a guy that was likely to have a good day. He walked the first 2 batters, but got lucky when Russell Martin threw out the lead runner on a double steal. I gotta say, that’s a dumb time for a double steal (oh man Zaun agrees with me, I need to rethink things). The game’s just started, you’ve had your first 2 batters walk and it looks like the pitcher is in trouble. It could be a big inning. Anyway, after the caught stealing, Ryon Healy singled home the runner from second. But Francisco righted things after that, a strike out and a ground out ended the inning.

Francisco wouldn’t allow another base runner until the Chapman home run with 1 out in the 5th.

Joe Biagini pitched a nice quick 6th and 7th. Ryan Tepera had a 3 up 3 down 8th and Roberto Osuna picked up his 25th save.

On offense we had 8 hits and 6 walks. But just 4 runs. We really should have scored more. We did have a number of hard hit balls that found gloves.

We scored:

• 1 in the first on a Russell Martin home run.
• 2 in the fourth. Josh Donaldson doubled and Justin Smoak walked to start the inning. A 1-out walk to Troy Tulowitzki loaded the bases. Ezequiel Carerra singled home Josh. And Ryan Goins, singled home Justin. Yep another bases loaded hit for Ryan.
• 1 in the 7th. We had walk, single, walk from Jose Bautista, Martin and Donaldson in that order. A Smoak walk (after hitting one foul into the fifth deck) scored Jose. But a Steve Pearce strikeout and a Tulo ground out ended the threat.

We had our own stupid play of the game. Pearce led off the 6th with a double, moved to third. Then, with Pearce on third and Carrera on first, Kevin Pillar put down a bunt. I like the suicide squeeze. I hate the safety squeeze. Pearce got a very late start, from third, and was out easy. It wasn’t a good bunt, and Pearce should have stayed at third.

For a nice change of pace, we only hit into 1 double play.

Jays of the Day: Biagini (.178 WPA), Carrera (.128, 2 for 3, walk), Martin (.109, 2 for 4, homer) and Donaldson (.091, 1 for 3, double, walk). I’m giving one to Goins too, even with the .035, because he made a couple of nice plays in the field.

Suckage: Pillar (-.177, 0 for 4, strikeout). He had a rough game.

We had 701 comments in a very friendly, if slightly tense, GameThread. TimmyMax led us to victory. Great job.