Jays lose to Cubs

Blue Jays 4 Cubs 7

It looked like we had a shot for a moment there.

We scored 3 in the top of the 8th, making it a one run game, but Tim Mayza gave up a 2-run homer to Javier Baez in the bottom of the inning and we were down by 3 again. I can’t blame Mayza, it wasn’t a terrible pitch, Baez just hit it. And it was a tough spot for a rookie, but our bullpen was pretty thin today. We just missed out on a double play , by an inch or so, on the batter before Baez, which would have changed the inning.

We score 3 in the top of the inning, all after 2 outs. Steve Pearce and Miguel Montero had singles. Kevin Pillar followed with a 2-strike double. Ryan Goins followed with a 2-run single, again on a 2-strike pitch. I didn’t understand pitch selection on either. Both Kevin and Ryan swung at a ball that bounced for strike 2. Kevin’s pitch was at least a foot outside of the strike zone. But, Cubs reliever Pedro Strob follows both with a pitch mid-plate. Doesn’t that seem stupid?

J.A. Happ wasn’t good, 9 hits, 2 walks and 8 strikeouts in 5 innings. We needed him to go deeper (and be better). He did have some bad luck, in the 3rd inning. He walked Zobrist and gave up a 1-out double to right. After that, there was a ground ball to Justin Smoak, easy out, but Happ didn’t cover first. Just bad baseball again. Next batter hit a single in front of Bautista (an outfielder with range would have caught it). After Jake Arrieta flied out (watching pitchers hit is so much fun), Albert Almora singled to right (barely over a retreating Darwin Barney, who I thought should have caught it, instead of running straight back to the ball, he back peddled and jumped), scoring the third run of the inning. Bautista threw it into second and we had Almora in a run down. Baez, who was on 3rd, went for home and Goins threw him out.

Montero appeared to be blocking the plate. The Cubs appealed, but no one understands the blocking the plate rule and the review was in out favor. Good thing, the Cubs would have been up 4-1 with a runner on 2nd and 2 out.

Happ gave up 2 more runs, in the 5th inning. The first really hard hit balls against him of the game, single (Amora), double (Bryant), single (Rizzo) and we were down 5-1.

I don’t think Happ was as bad as the line shows. Not covering first was bad, but the hits, in the 3rd, were bloops.

Happ (Ian) went 0 for 3 with 3 strikeouts vs. Happ (J.A.). But Happ (Ian) made a nice catch off a Happ (J) soft liner that looked like it would be a single.

We scored 1 in the first, again on 2-out hits. Smoak doubled, and Pearce singled the other way.

We should have scored in the 7th. Kevin Pillar doubled to lead off the inning. Ezequiel Carrera (pinch hitting took a 1-out walk), but Kendrys Morales and Bautista couldn’t score them.

Being a NL game, there was some fun. We had Bautista at third base and Donaldson at short for the last few innings.

We did have 10 hits. 2 each for Smoak, Pearce, Montero and Pillar. 1 for Bautista and Goins. Donaldson had an 0 for, for the first time in days.

Speaking of Montero, he made a great throw to 3rd base to catch a stealing Ben Zobrist. And Bautista deserves some credit for a good tag.

From the pen, Loup pitched a very nice inning. Mayza had a good inning, but was needed for another and gave up 2 runs. Ryan Tepera got the last 2 outs of the 8th....to me a wasted move....we where down 3 and we weren’t likely to come back, leave Mayze in. Or you could have put Tepera in to start the inning. One or the other.

No Jays of the Game.

Suckage: Happ (-.264 WPA....plus a -.044 as a hitter) and Mayza (-.098)

I’ll add the leader board later. I have to get away for a bit.